Unique  Daughter of a Vampire  Part Two
by Kelleigh Rae
Summary: Picking up where 'Unique' left off, Norrah is now in Mystic Falls and she's looking for some allies to help her find Katherine and get some MAJOR questions answered, but without much experience with other Vamps is Norrah in over her head?
1. Prologue

**Prologue.**

My story is not over, not by a long shot. In many ways it seems that it has only just begun. My entire existence has led up to this meeting with Damon Salvatore, and it was imperative that I make a good first impression. I would allow myself two hours with him, any longer and I feared that my heart would take over and I might start feeling something for him. Imagine that; having feelings for a man who'd had some kind of a dysfunctional relationship with my birth mother and who killed the one remaining person who meant anything to me in this world, my best friend Alexia Branson.

I knew that I was putting myself in a somewhat vulnerable place, trusting a man whom I'd never met and who was known to be something of a loose canon. If I was going to win him over and convince him of my virtue I would have to be sneaky about it. Even with that in mind there was no guarantee that he would agree to help me lure Katherine out. She was not only a threat to me, but also to Elena, Stefan and himself. There was no telling what his reaction would be to my request.

Katherine was still very much a mystery to me. I had no idea what she looked like, where she might be, or how she would react when she realized that I was seeking her out. I could only hope that some part of her, albeit a very small part, still cared about me and that she would display some form of compassion for my situation. I needed answers to questions that had dominated my thoughts for over five hundred years and she was the only one who knew the truth. Still something inside of me was urging me to turn back.

It was now or never. Damon Salvatore was mere inches away. If I was to jump ship now it would be unlikely that this opportunity would ever present itself again. I knew that this might be my only chance to find Katherine and hold her accountable for what she did to me; for what she stole from me. This was for my father and my mother, for my precious Maddie, my dear friend Lexi, and even for Thomas whom I had loved regardless of whether or not he ever felt anything real for me. I owed them all, but even more than that, I owed myself. Katherine may not deserve the chance to get to know me, but I deserved an opportunity to meet and confront her.

But first things first, I had to win over Damon. So far, so good, I'd just have to keep up this charade long enough that he couldn't resist my charm. That shouldn't be too hard, right? All that I had to do was to keep the whiskey coming.


	2. Chapter 1

**First.**

We talked for a while, drank a lot, and he never made any indication that he suspected me to be a vampire. I watched his eyes dance as he stared at the abrasion on my arm that still bled in a few spots. I waited to see if he would react as a true vampire, but instead he would look away after a few moments and take a swig of his seemingly endless supply of whiskey. For that I was thankful, the more impaired his inhibitions the easier it was to pretend that I was human. After a while I didn't even have to pretend anymore, I almost felt comfortable enough to heal my arm that had been throbbing for over an hour and was starting to look inflamed. Of course I would never do anything as foolish as that, I had no idea how much of his inebriation was real and how much was just an act.

As the two hour mark drew closer I started to prepare to leave. I suggested to him that he may want to think about heading home himself, but it was still very early and I doubted he would be leaving before the sun went down. He told me that the day was still young, and I shouldn't be rushing out now. I had to admit, he was very charming. Actually that is not the correct word; perhaps 'slick' would be a better description. I could feel myself getting lost in his eyes and the color rushing into my cheeks when he would shoot a half-smile my way. I knew I had to get out of there.

I excused myself on the premise that I had to use the restroom. I brought my wallet clutch with me and I had to smile as I felt his eyes burning into my back as I walked away. As I neared the restroom I cast a quick glance over my shoulder to see that he had turned back around. I quickly changed direction and headed out into the cool afternoon air. The mix of alcohol and spending two hours with Damon Salvatore made me feel somewhat light-headed. I rushed down the sidewalk and back to my truck.


	3. Chapter 2

**Second.**

My hands gripped the steering wheel as I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the headrest. I tried to calm my breathing by taking big slow breaths, my heart was still racing. I couldn't believe that I had found Damon Salvatore. After a few moments I opened my eyes, sat up and released the wheel. I tried to sort out all of the emotions I was feeling, anxiety, anger, frustration, attraction, but they all manifested as one, fear. I was afraid that everyone would find out who and what I was, afraid of the rejection they were sure to dole out when they realized my connection to Katherine, afraid that my anger regarding what had happened between Alexia and Damon would surface and I wouldn't be able to stay in control. I had to calm down. There was no way that I could function if I let the fear take over.

I opened the door of my SUV and stepped out onto the narrow street next to The Grille. I had been sitting in there for hours and the sun had already set. I walked around to the front of the building it occurred to me that I might run into Damon again if he hadn't left, but I didn't care. I needed something to help calm my rattled nerves and there was no better relief than that of a stiff drink. I took one more deep breath to compose myself before walking in. Thankfully as I swung the heavy door open I did not see him at the bar.

I made my way through the dining area to the bar and ordered. As I waited I looked around the large room. There were couples sitting down at the tables sharing a meal, a group of teenagers had taken over the pool tables in the back, and another group bellied up to the bar with steins full of beer and glasses of other colorful concoctions in hand. As I watched them laughing and ribbing one another I couldn't help but think that they all looked far too young to be drinking, but as I turned back to pay the bartender I caught a glimpse of my own face in a mirror and realized that I probably wasn't the best person to be judging them.

I ordered two double shots of tequila and ten minutes later I was back out in the fresh air again walking back to my truck, staring up at the stars and allowing my arm to heal. I'd stopped at a camping supply store on my way to Mystic Falls and had picked up a self-inflating mattress, a few small pillows and a sleeping bag. With the seats down in the back of the SUV the mattress fit perfectly. As I wrestled the plastic off of the sleeping bag a strange feeling started to creep up on me. It wasn't the fear that I had felt before, the tequila had taken care of that, this was an entirely different feeling, one of sadness and betrayal; it could only be a residual reaction to what Damon had done to Alexia. I hurried to finish setting up the bed, climbed into the back of the truck and pulled the trunk closed.

I slid into the sleeping bag and my tired body rejoiced as the muscles relaxed, but my mind was still very much awake. I lay still for a few minutes with my eyes closed hoping to allow sleep to take over, but it eluded me. I reached for my phone and hit the button to illuminate the screen. My throat caught, as it always did when I turned the foolish contraption on, as a photo of Alexia and I at some county fair dressed in period costumes stared back at me. I could feel fresh hot tears stinging my eyes as I turned the phone off. I missed her so much but I hadn't allowed myself to come to terms with her death yet. I rolled over on my side bunching the pillows up under my head and eventually fell into a restless sleep.

As I tossed and turned images flooded my head without any cohesive thread holding them together; just a jumble of pictures. I saw The Grille, lots of teenagers, pool tables, the bar, tequila, the stone fireplace in my rental in Toronto, a woman with short blond hair, men in uniforms. I felt angry and scared, but too weak to act on it. I felt as though I was being dragged, the rush of cool autumn air. I heard gun shots, felt rage bubbling up, saw Damon's face and then nothing.

I bolted upright, slamming my head on the ceiling light as pain shot through me like lightning. It took me a moment before I was able to concentrate and cast my eyes upwards, and then, the pain was gone. I turned and looked in the rearview mirror, but any sign of trauma had disappeared. I raked my fingers through my knotted hair, opened the door and stepped out into the cool morning air. Grabbing a small backpack from the front seat I crossed the town square and headed into a small coffee shop. Sitting at the counter I ordered some coffee and asked the waitress if there was a bathroom I could use.

Once in a stall I changed out of my clothes from the previous day into a clean outfit. At the sink I stared into the mirror as my dark eyes stared right back. There wasn't a wrinkle or a grey hair, nothing to indicate my advanced age. The face of a twenty year old was all I saw, it was all I would ever see; not that it was a bad looking face, rounded chubby cheeks, a deep dimple on the right, a small dark mole on the left. I fished around in my pack for a hairbrush, some make-up and a toothbrush. I yanked my hair back into a long ponytail and added a headband for good measure, dabbed some concealer under my eyes to hide the dark circles that had taken up residence there a few years before, brushed my teeth and applied some lip gloss. I stood back and looked at my reflection, satisfied I stuffed everything back into the pack, stopped at the counter to leave a tip and headed back out.

I kept my head down as I walked across the square trying not to draw any attention to myself. I was about twenty yards from my truck when suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks. A sick feeling passed over me as images again began to flood my mind, this time in a more fluid sequence, but I noted that this time I was an observer, not a participant. I saw Alexia and Damon at the bar, three police officers headed towards her. I watched as they injected her with what appeared to be vervain and dragged her out to the darkened street just behind where I stood. Alexia's face transformed and she threw the two men who held her arms off of her. The blonde haired woman who wore a sheriff's badge on her chest started shooting in my direction. I ducked to avoid being hit and tried to warn Alexia, but she didn't hear me. The bullets pierced her skin but then bounced to the ground. As she rushed towards the sheriff I stood just in time to see Damon slip in behind her with a stake in hand. I screamed as I saw the stake enter her heart, felt pain rip through my chest and watched as she crumbled to the ground. I put my hand to my mouth but it barely helped to contain my screams, I closed my eyes and allowed the tears to stream down my face.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and was vaguely aware of a voice, "Ma'am are you alright?"

I opened my eyes and the dark of night had vanished. Sunlight poured over me and I had to shade my swollen eyes to see who was behind me. Again I heard the voice; this time I recognized it as belonging to a woman, asking if I was okay. In one swift movement I pushed my knee into the concrete and slid it a few inches to allow the flesh to be torn open. I stood, wiping at my legs to loosen the dirt.

"I'm fine, I just tripped and was a little stunned," I muttered, "It's no big deal." I looked up to see who had come to my aid and felt my heart stop, my blood boil in my veins as I saw the face of the sheriff, the woman who was partly responsible for my Alexia's death.

Our eyes locked for a moment as I let my mind register who she was. I could feel rage building up inside of me and I knew I had to get out of there fast. I started to walk away.

"You should really have a doctor take a look at that knee," she called. I kept walking, insisting that it was only a scratch, blood coursing down my leg. I climbed into my truck, turned the key in the ignition and took off, probably faster than I should have in front of the police, but I didn't care, I needed to put some distance between she and I so that I didn't act on the overwhelming urge to rip her head off. I looked down at my leg, she was right; I had done a better job than I thought on my knee. When I reached a traffic light and slowed to a stop I looked up into the clouds and felt the pain ease.

How was I going to do this? How could I try and live alongside these people, these vampire haters? Who could I trust with my secrets? How was I ever supposed to find Katherine, and most importantly, how had I gotten myself into this mess?


	4. Chapter 3

**Third.**

I drove around for an hour trying to make sense of what had just happened. I had never had a "vision" before and I was still quite shaken. The town itself wasn't very large and I must have driven down almost every street at least once. On the outskirts I noticed a number of small dirt paths leading into the woods. They seemed large enough to drive on, so after ensuring that there was no one around I pulled off the main road onto one of these paths. The packed dirt was uneven and covered in rocks and branches. I drove until I knew that no one would spot me from the street and turned off the ignition. After calming down some and realizing that I hadn't eaten yet I climbed out of the truck and set off to hunt.

Twenty minutes later I was fed and on my way back to the truck when I noticed some piles of brick and stone to my left. Figuring that I didn't have much else to do I decided to explore a bit. I came upon what looked like it might have been the foundation of a home at one time. There was a stone stairway that led down and I could make out what looked like a large wooden door. Glancing around I couldn't see or hear anyone coming, so I descended the steps to get a better look. When I reached the bottom I found the door to be blocked with a large wooden beam. Something didn't feel right about this place, I reached out to touch the beam and was overcome by a feeling of darkness, of unimaginable pain and suffering. I raced back up the stairs. Whatever was behind that door in the old cellar should probably stay there.

I kept walking, it was afternoon now, by the position of the sun I guessed probably around one or two o'clock. I knew that I still had hours of daylight, and I was hoping that I might find more in the woods; they did not disappoint. I came out of the trees to a clearing and found an old well. I hadn't seen one of these in decades. Most of those that existed up north had been demolished or filled in after a number of children were found dead, drowned in the pits. I wondered what could be down there and placed my hands on the stones to look over the edge.

Almost immediately an indescribable pain seared my palms. I ran back a few steps watching as the skin burned and fell to the ground in sheets. Vervain, there must have been some trace amount of vervain on the rocks. My hands turned a sickly shade of deep magenta, sores and blisters formed in front of my eyes. I panicked; the pain was too great for me to concentrate enough to heal them. I raced back through the woods towards my truck, the pain throbbing with every beat of my heart, never letting up. By the time I got to the vehicle the pain was so great that I started to feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. I jarred the door open and grabbed my water bottle, pouring the lukewarm liquid over my hands but it wasn't enough. I scrambled to the back of the truck and used my elbows to fish around for something to help but all that I had was a bottle of witch hazel. Fearing that I was only moments away from blacking out I took the cap off with my teeth and poured it generously over my hands hoping at the very least to soothe them enough that I could concentrate and heal them.

To my complete astonishment the pain dissipated. I could still feel the burns, but it was bearable. I poured more on until I was finally able to concentrate, then I turned my eyes to the sky, closed them and let out a sigh of relief as I felt the tight raw skin loosen a little and my fingers wiggle. It took a few minutes, but they healed, and the tightness of the new skin would be gone the next day. I picked up the near empty bottle that had fallen to the ground and stared at it as I turned it around in my freshly healed hands. I have no idea how that worked, but I wasn't going to be unprepared if I ever had another vervain burn. I closed the back door, slipped into the driver's seat and turned the ignition on. There wasn't much room to turn around so I put the truck in reverse and headed out of the woods the way I came.

In town I found the local drug store and bought five bottles of witch hazel liquid. If the cashier thought this a strange purchase she didn't indicate it. I also grabbed a few magazines and some gum, handed her the money and went back to the truck. The sun was getting low in the sky, so I had a quick dinner at a fast-food chain and headed back towards the woods. I figured it was as good a place as any to go unnoticed. The light of the moon was enough to get me back to my previous location. I unrolled the mattress and sleeping bag and settled in to read my magazines. I fell asleep after only ten pages and didn't wake until the following morning.


	5. Chapter 4

**Fourth.**

After a quick hunt the following morning I decided to go in search of a Laundromat and a motel where I could get a shower. Laundry had started to pile up and I hadn't wanted to stop on my way into town, besides, it would be hours before The Grille opened and now that I'd had a few days to sort out my emotions I was hoping to catch site of Damon again. I drove to Oak Grove and was back in Mystic falls just a few hours later showered and with a pile of clean clothes. It was still before noon so I elected to explore the woods a little more. This time I took my backpack with two bottles of witch hazel, some water, a fleece vest, some granola bars I had picked up that morning and one of the three bottles of blood I had procured from the deer I had hunted that morning.

I chose to go in the opposite direction today to see if there was anything else of interest hidden among the trees in these woods. I walked for about 15 minutes before I saw another partial wall of stones. The closer that I got to it the more clearly I could see a large sinkhole that had opened up in from of it. I didn't want to get too close to the edge in case the ground wasn't stable, so instead I walked around the perimeter. To my surprise as I came around from the back of the ruins I found a staircase leading down into the hole. Maybe it wasn't a sinkhole after all.

I cautiously took the steps down into what had probably been a cellar at one time. The ground was littered with leaves and branches, but the packed dirt floor indicated that this wasn't a natural hole in the ground. To my left was a wall of earth, dirt and roots from the ground up, and much the same on the wall across from me. As I looked to the right I was shocked. There was a large stone, about eight feet tall resting next to the mouth of a cave. The stone had a large pentagram carved into it, a symbol used mostly by witches in spells. I hadn't seen one of these in a century or more.

I walked slowly towards the stone. As I got closer I started to hear a low hum that stopped me for a moment. I looked all around thinking someone might be coming. When I was only a few feet away from the stone slab I called into the cave to see if anyone was there, my voice echoed off of some of the rocks, but I heard no response. I had left my flashlight in the car, so I had to use the one on my phone to peer in, but it wasn't as strong and only gave me another foot or two of visibility. I would have to remember to bring my light next time.

I turned my attention back to the large slab. The symbol had been carved into the stone roughly, indicating that it was probably quite old. I reached my hand out and touched the surface. The stone felt warm which was strange since there was a chill in the air. I felt a very slight vibration and again heard the low hum; it was coming from the rock. This rock had been spelled at some point and there was still a hint of magic flowing within it. I placed my other palm up to the stone and I felt the vibration course through me. I closed my eyes, but when I did something happened. I heard voices screaming, wailing, and banging on the stone and the walls. People were trapped, they were in pain, starving, dying. I opened my eyes and the screaming stopped. I took my hands off of the rock and stared for a moment. I grabbed my pack, slung it over my shoulder and ascended the stairs, only looking back once over my shoulder. This place had some significance and something told me that it was going to be important that I know what that significance was.


	6. Chapter 5

**Fifth.**

I decided to leave the truck where it was and to walk back into town. It was late afternoon so there weren't many people in The Grille yet. I sat down at a table near the bar and ordered a burger and a drink. I took out my e-reader tablet and tried to get lost in my book, but I kept feeling as though someone was looking at me. Every time I would raise my head to look around I saw no one. About five minutes went by, my food came but I wasn't as hungry as I thought. I nibbled on a few French fries and sipped some water as I read. I was just getting to a climax in the story when a man walked over and introduced himself. I didn't look up, instead I held up one finger to indicate that I would answer in just a moment. When I finished the paragraph I put the tablet in sleep mode and looked up, apologizing for my rudeness.

The man tried again to introduce himself but I was sure I had heard him wrong for no one that I had encountered, at least not in this century bore the name Alaric. I knew one once in a small village in Massachusetts but that was in the 1600's. He extended his hand which I shook politely and introduced myself.

"My name is Norrah, would you like to sit?" I asked and he took me up on my offer. I watched as he pushed a few stray strands of his sandy blonde hair off of his forehead. He wasn't a bad looking guy, but he was troubled, I could see it in his eyes. We talked a little about ourselves, he told me he was a teacher at the high school and I said that I was here doing some freelance photography. I had my camera with me so it wasn't completely a lie.

"I had a good friend who came through here a few years back," I told him, "She suggested that I come and take a look around, maybe I would find some inspiration."

"Have you found anything inspiring yet?" he asked me.

"Well, I came across some ruins in the woods yesterday that were very interesting." I saw recognition flash across his face. "One appeared to be the remains of an old cellar, deep stone staircase and a large wooden door. There was an old well a bit further out, and then earlier today I came across a larger cellar with a huge stone slab and what looked like a cave."

"You might want to avoid those particular ruins, the stonework is not very stable" he instructed me, "there have also been a number of wild animal attacks in and around those woods over the past few years."

I was about to argue but his phone started to ring on the table. I instinctively looked down and saw the name 'Elena' on the screen. He excused himself to take the call and then a minute later came back to the table.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go, family business."

"Well, it was very nice meeting you Alaric," I said as I stood to shake his hand, "I hope we see each other again."

"I hope so too," he said as he reached for his jacket, "and please, call me Ric." I watched him walk out of The Grille and couldn't help but wonder if that was the same Elena that I was looking for, I mean it was possible; Ric was a high school teacher after all.

I finished my fries and had the waiter wrap my burger. As I left The Grille and started walking towards the woods I again felt as though I was being watched. I quickened my pace and slipped into one of the doorways to a small shop. I waited frozen in place and fingered the ring around my neck thinking that someone would walk by but no one did. After a few minutes I stuck my head back out and saw no one on the street. I ran back towards the woods wanting to get to my truck and hide as fast as I could. I slowed my pace once I hit the tree line, I could see the outline of my SUV in the dim moonlight. I took in a deep breath and let it out.

As I reached the trunk and opened the hatch I thought I heard a rustle of leaves. I stopped moving and listened, but there was nothing; it was probably just an animal. When an owl let out a shrill hoot from the trees I jumped, hitting the top of my head on the open trunk door. I put my hand up instinctively and felt a gash and warm blood. Looking at my hand I realized I must have cut deep. Just as I was training my gaze on the stars I felt a hand over my mouth and one atop my head, I tried to twist out of the hold I was in but this person was strong and had me in an awkward position. Just as I realized what was about to happen I felt it, fangs cutting into my neck, the quick draining of blood, and the thud of my body as I went limp and slid to the ground.


	7. Chapter 6

**Sixth.**

I woke a short time later with my head pounding. My heart was struggling to pump the miniscule amount of blood left in my veins. It took me almost ten minutes to sit up, my vision was cloudy, my breathing fast and shallow. I gathered as much strength as I could and I twisted around trying to get to my feet. After a few feeble attempts I had only managed to get to my knees. I rocked back onto the balls of my feet three times and slowly straightened, I was up, but almost as quickly I started to collapse. At least this time I had gotten the top half of my body into the truck.

I looked up and saw my backpack was within reach so I slid my arm along the carpeted floor and pulled out a bottle of blood, but I knew that I couldn't drink it like this. I slid my palms under my shoulders and pushed myself up, lifted my legs in one at a time and then rolled onto my back. I was exhausted from the effort, but I pushed myself into a sitting position and slowly drank. My energy started to come back as I finished the bottle. I reached out to the trunk door and pulled it shut, laid back still trembling with fear which was sapping away my remaining energy and after a few minutes I slowly drifted off to sleep.

It was midday before I woke again, I was still shaky but I was able to move around and walk. I Finished off another bottle of blood and then headed to The Grille. I needed a drink to calm my jittery nerves. Thankfully there was no one at the bar. I ordered a double shot of whiskey, downed it and then ordered another. The previous night played over and over in my head, I thought that if I tried really hard to remember that I might see the signs that someone was planning to attack me, maybe a shadow or a piece of fabric. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't remember anything except that one rustle of leaves. The hand over my mouth had been large and rough, I felt stubble rubbing on the back of my neck when I was bitten. So I could narrow it down to a male, great, so helpful. I put my head down in my hands reconsidering my decision to come here in the first place. When I felt a hand on my shoulder I almost jumped out of my skin.

I spun around and came face to face with Damon and Alaric. My first reaction was to run, the human 'fight or flight' response, I guess that it carried over for me. Damon's eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

"You don't look very good," he told me as he took the stool next to me.

"Thanks," I said weakly as I finished off my drink. As the adrenaline rush from their sudden appearance wore off and the alcohol took hold I felt more relaxed. Alaric ordered a round for us and then looked over at me. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked me looking very concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine," I assured them. I took my shot and started to gather my things. I needed to move my truck because someone knew where I was and might come back again. I saw Damon looking at me out of the corner of my eye. I turned to say goodbye and felt my heart flutter just a bit as my arm brushed against his. This was bad; I couldn't have these kinds of feelings for him.

I walked out just before I felt the flush of my cheeks and I hoped that they hadn't noticed. I was relieved to know that it wasn't Damon who had bitten me last night because he didn't seemed shocked to see me alive at all. Now the problem was that I didn't know who it could have possibly been…


	8. Chapter 7

**Seventh.**

When I got back to my truck I decided it would probably be best if I parked out on the main road, away from where I had decided to stay for the night. I took the bedroll and my backpack with me and headed back towards the cave that I had found with the pentagram slab outside. The light was fading so I pulled out my flashlight. When I got to the stairs I dropped my bag and bedding at the top and slowly descended. I needed to know that there wasn't anyone already using this place before I set up camp.

I shined the light at the stone slab and then into the cave. I yelled "Hello!" into the entrance but heard only my own voice echoing back. The deeper in I walked the wider and higher the room became. There were a few chambers with small holes that allowed moonlight to stream through. At the end of the cave was a wrought iron fence with no obvious purpose. I couldn't help but wonder what this place had been used for. There were footsteps in the dust that looked fairly new but there were no other signs that anyone had been in here recently.

I went back out to retrieve my things and decided that it might be best if I stayed just inside the first bend in the entrance corridor, just far enough that I couldn't be seen, but close enough that I could make a quick escape if I had to. I set up my bedroll, laid with my back up against the rocky wall and slept. I woke shortly after dawn and walked a little further into the cave. I had a few bottles of water in my pack so I was able to wash up, my hair would have to wait for a proper shower. I tied it up with an elastic and set about rolling up the sleeping bag and mattress. I held the deflated mattress in my hand and searched the ground nearby for the string to tie it but I couldn't find it. I reached for my flashlight in my pack but then realized that something wasn't right. I should have had plenty of light coming in from the entranceway.

I stood and walked around the corner stopping short. The entrance to the cave was blocked. I ran over to it and put my hand against the rock, and once again I felt it vibrate. It must have been the same large slab that had been outside the door. I tried to find a crack between the rocks but the seal was tight. I pushed against it and I thought I felt it give a little but then fall right back in place. I tried again but this time it didn't budge. I ran back to my pack to see if I had any blood with me and then remembered that I had used it all to regain my strength the day before. I was trapped and panicked. I started screaming for help but I knew it wouldn't do any good. I was in the middle of the woods and there was no one out there.


	9. Chapter 8

**Eighth.**

I didn't know what to do, my phone was still in my truck and my strength was waning every minute that I went without blood. I knew I would have to conserve it, so I sat on the ground next to my pack and tried to think. All that came to mind was miners using dynamite to blast obstacles free but that was irrational since I didn't have any dynamite. I racked my brain but couldn't think of anything. I hung my head and allowed myself one minute to cry and feel sorry for myself. When my minute was up I wiped away my tears with my dust covered hands and stood up.

I walked back up to the entrance and stared at the back of the slab for what seemed like hours taking frequent breaks to remind myself that panicking was not an option. When my feet got tired from pacing I sat facing the slab. Frustration finally got the better of me and I jumped to my feet slamming my fists against the wall and allowing tears to fall again. What difference did it make if I cried; I was trapped and all alone. I noticed that when I hit the walls the rock crumbled. Maybe if I hit them hard enough I would be able to create a new opening. It would only take ten or twenty years I thought sarcastically to myself. I slid back down the wall.

I had run out of ideas, I looked up towards the cave's ceiling. I called out for my Maddie, I had often confided in her over the years since Alexia died, when it seemed like the world was collapsing in on me. I rarely ever cried in these situations, but this time I couldn't hold back. I apologized over and over again for abandoning her as a child, begged for her to forgive me and pleaded with her to help me figure a way out. I cried harder than I had in years. I called for Alexia, for my parents, for anyone who could hear me and had ever loved me. I cried myself to the point of exhaustion; my nose was running, my throat sore and no more tears left to cry.

I knew it was hopeless so I laid my head down on the dusty floor next to the slab. I closed my swollen eyes for a few minutes. When I opened them again I saw something I hadn't noticed before. There was a tiny, almost invisible, streak of light coming in around the rock. It couldn't have been more than an inch and a half long, but it was a break in the seal. I stood back up and realized that I couldn't see it, sat down and it still wasn't visible. It wasn't until I put my head down to the floor that I saw it again.

I finally knew the answer. When Alexia and I had lived in the cabin in Massachusetts we'd had to inspect the seals between the logs a few times each year so that the harsh weather didn't topple the house down on us in our sleep. One winter when I was away for a few weeks Alexia decided to inspect the walls herself. She found a small crack in one of the seals, but the wind and snow of an oncoming blizzard had already started so she couldn't go out for the pine sap she needed to mix up the sealant. Instead she broke one of the rocks that made up the fireplace, sharpened it with one of the tools I kept under the bed and then shoved the sharp end into the seal.

If she had left it at that it might have held, but she didn't want me to see the rock sticking out of the wall so she found my repurposed hammer and broke the protruding portion of rock off. As usual she didn't know her own strength, and the force of the hammer caused the piece that was in the crack to shift and the seal to crack like ice all the way down the wall. The blizzard lasted for two days; snow was blown up in drifts everywhere. By the time I got back to the cabin the following day I found half of the wall caved in, the roof cracked down the middle, and Alexia wrapped in every quilt and blanket we owned shivering on the bed. I was a bit frustrated but I couldn't help but laugh at her, and it took twice as long as it should have to fix it because Alexia spent all of her time apologizing instead of helping.

That was it, I just needed a wedge. I scrambled around looking for a rock sharp enough and strong enough to fit. It took a few tries but I finally was able to knock one loose. I laid back down on my stomach and looked for the crack. Daylight was fading and I almost didn't see it. I stuck the small rock into the slit and found a larger one to hammer it with. Little by little the door started to inch open. I grabbed my stuff and put it at the front of the cave. Once that door was open I was out of here. I hit the wedge a few more times before it fell out of the crack, now there was enough room for me to reach my hand around and push. I got the slab open enough to slip through so I threw my stuff out and squeezed out of the cave.

When I got out I realized why I hadn't been able to move the slab. There was a pile of large heavy boulders in front of the rock. I was stunned. I shined my flashlight on the ground looking for tracks. I was only able to identify one set, but it didn't make sense. They looked as though they were left by a woman, slender foot and what appeared to be high heels. That couldn't be right, but there they were, coming and going a number of times, deeper on the way to the cave because she was carrying something heavy and then much lighter as they led away. I didn't know who did this, but I couldn't deny that it was getting too dangerous keeping this secret. I would have to tell someone, and soon.


	10. Chapter 9

**Ninth.**

I drove slowly up the back road leading to the Salvatore boarding house and when it came into view I was stunned. Alexia had described it when it was first built, but I had no idea it was so large. I parked close to the door and spent a few minutes just taking it all in, then a few more rehearsing what I was going to say. I took a few deep breaths and knocked on the door and waited. I heard footsteps coming towards the door and felt my heart pounding in my temples. As the door knob turned I tried to put a smile on my face but shock replaced that as Alaric opened the door to greet me.

He looked a little surprised to see me as well. "Hi Norrah, it's nice to see you again. I didn't realize you were going to be stopping by, would you care to join us for a nightcap? He asked.

"Good evening Ric, I'm sorry, this was an impromptu visit. Do you live here as well?" I knew Damon had said his brother lived with him, but he didn't mention Alaric. He smiled and said that he didn't, his living situation was complicated. "I'm sorry for prying, but yes, I think I would enjoy a nightcap." I knew that I could enter if there wasn't a living person who owned it or lived there, but I couldn't help glancing up at the doorframe as I stepped through. If Alaric noticed he didn't say anything, it seemed that they had probably had more than just one drink this evening.

Alaric led me into the sunken parlor and my jaw dropped. He turned around and looked at me laughing, "Impressive, huh? You'll get used to it if you stick around for a while," he told me. I couldn't imagine ever getting used to this, it was architecture of a bygone era, exquisitely furnished, every piece had its place, and as I guessed it, Damon's place appeared to be behind the liquor. He came around the couch and handed me a glass, startling me back to reality.

"Have a seat," He said to me as he gestured towards one of the large sofas. He sat on a settee across from me smirking.

"Well, I think that I am going to call it a night." Ric told us. I stood to say goodbye, then sat back down and saw down the rest of his drink and then wink at Damon as he left the room and walked out the front door.

After the door closed I looked back over at Damon who still had that strange smile on his face. "So tell me, what is it you need so desperately that you drove over here at this time of the night?" he asked as he took a sip of his drink.

I looked down at my watch and told him, "It's only seven o'clock." His face fell; apparently he thought it was much later. I quietly chuckled. "I need to talk to you about something, but it's a sensitive subject. I need to know that this will stay between you and me, at least for now." I looked across the room and into his eyes, trying to read whether or not I could trust him seeing as how we had only just met a few days before. It had to stay between the two of us. In a flash he was at my side on the couch finishing what was left in his drink and smiling all the while. Maybe I should have waited until he was sober.

"I know what you're thinking, but believe me, I am much more fun after a few drinks," he assured me. He started to lean in towards me and I felt my lips tingle. That was it, I had no choice, I flashed my fangs at him and threw him back over to the settee, well, actually, I threw him over the settee.

He was back on his feet in a flash, fangs barred and ready to fight. He rushed at me, but I had already retracted mine. He hit my outstretched hand at full speed and landed on his back in front of the fire. He moaned but quickly recovered. I saw him try to double back around me, but I spun around and crashed into him, pinning him up against the wall a few inches off the floor, my hand at his throat. "Are you quite finished?" I asked him, "I came to talk, not to fight." He nodded and I released my hold on his throat. He crumbled to the floor gasping for air.

He looked up at me in shock, "I get your point so let's talk."

Once we had settled back in next to the fire and Damon had poured himself another generous drink I started. "Obviously you are aware that I am a vampire, that I am quite a bit older than you are and significantly stronger. I came to Mystic Falls specifically to find you and ask for your help. In turn I am willing to offer my help to you in return." He looked at me strangely but didn't interrupt. "Contrary to what you just witnessed I am generally non-violent unless provoked. I have absolutely no intension of hurting you, Stefan, or anyone else in Mystic Falls for that matter. I was hoping that you might be willing to help me locate a missing family member of mine."

I knew, of course, what the next words out of his mouth would be. "If you want my help finding someone, you'll have to be a bit more specific. Why the hell do you think I would help you anyway?" He asked.

"I need help finding my mother," I told him. He finished his drink and threw the glass into the fire where it shattered on the hearth.

"I've been through this before and have no interest in doing it again. If you want to find your mother so badly then go find her yourself. I am not reliving another Pearl and Anna drama in which I could get hurt, or more likely killed. Besides, what could you possibly do for me, you don't even know me. I can take care of myself." He said as he turned away from me.

Having expected this reaction I was able to maintain my composure. "Pearl and Anna were a very different situation." I told him. I'm surprised to hear that they actually lived that long as reckless as they were when I knew them." That caught his attention. "That's right, I came across Pearl and her daughter centuries ago on the ship from England to America, but that hardly matters now. I have no doubt that you can take care of yourself Mr. Salvatore, but it isn't really you that I am concerned about anyway.

His eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, cocking his head to the side. "If it isn't me that you are worried about then who is it?"

I smirked back at him as I said the name out loud, "Elena Gilb-..." Before I had even gotten her whole name out of my mouth he knocked me from my sitting position onto my back and had his hand at my throat. I saw anger flash in his eyes.

"Don't even think about going anywhere near Elena or so help me I will pull your heart out of your chest and ram it down your throat." I smiled up at him as I bent back the fingers on his hand and after hearing a few bones snap he retreated.

"I am here to help her," I told him as he realigned the bones in his fingers to heal properly.

"Elena has all the help that she needs so you can go back to where ever it is that you came from and forget about her," he muttered.

I smiled down at him and whispered, "I'm not going anywhere. I came here to help Elena and that is what I plan to do." He looked up at me enraged but stayed put on the floor.

"How much does it mean to you to have your brother here with you Damon? I asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" he replied.

"I don't know much about your family dynamics, but in my own, family means everything." I told him. He looked at me still somewhat mystified. I sighed, "Elena and I are family, we are blood relations, and I came to town to make sure that my family is safe."

He stood up and paced in front of the fire. "So you are telling me that you're an un-dead ancestor of Elena's whom she has never met? She doesn't even know that you exist? I nodded, she certainly wasn't the first who hadn't heard of me, but you can't really blame her, both my birth and death were undocumented, there had never been any record of my existence to reference. Although to be fair, I wasn't completely dead so that shouldn't be counted I guessed. I watched him trying to work this out in his head, after a moment I saw a change in his face, he looked up at me starring, blinking, not believing what he saw. "There is no way that is possible." He had figured it out.

"That's right Damon; Katherine Pierce is my birth mother."


	11. Chapter 10

**Ninth.**

I drove slowly up the back road leading to the Salvatore boarding house and when it came into view I was stunned. Alexia had described it when it was first built, but I had no idea it was so large. I parked close to the door and spent a few minutes just taking it all in, then a few more rehearsing what I was going to say. I took a few deep breaths and knocked on the door and waited. I heard footsteps coming towards the door and felt my heart pounding in my temples. As the door knob turned I tried to put a smile on my face but shock replaced that as Alaric opened the door to greet me.

He looked a little surprised to see me as well. "Hi Norrah, it's nice to see you again. I didn't realize you were going to be stopping by, would you care to join us for a nightcap? He asked.

"Good evening Ric, I'm sorry, this was an impromptu visit. Do you live here as well?" I knew Damon had said his brother lived with him, but he didn't mention Alaric. He smiled and said that he didn't, his living situation was complicated. "I'm sorry for prying, but yes, I think I would enjoy a nightcap." I knew that I could enter if there wasn't a living person who owned it or lived there, but I couldn't help glancing up at the doorframe as I stepped through. If Alaric noticed he didn't say anything, it seemed that they had probably had more than just one drink this evening.

Alaric led me into the sunken parlor and my jaw dropped. He turned around and looked at me laughing, "Impressive, huh? You'll get used to it if you stick around for a while," he told me. I couldn't imagine ever getting used to this, it was architecture of a bygone era, exquisitely furnished, every piece had its place, and as I guessed it, Damon's place appeared to be behind the liquor. He came around the couch and handed me a glass, startling me back to reality.

"Have a seat," He said to me as he gestured towards one of the large sofas. He sat on a settee across from me smirking.

"Well, I think that I am going to call it a night." Ric told us. I stood to say goodbye, then sat back down and saw down the rest of his drink and then wink at Damon as he left the room and walked out the front door.

After the door closed I looked back over at Damon who still had that strange smile on his face. "So tell me, what is it you need so desperately that you drove over here at this time of the night?" he asked as he took a sip of his drink.

I looked down at my watch and told him, "It's only seven o'clock." His face fell; apparently he thought it was much later. I quietly chuckled. "I need to talk to you about something, but it's a sensitive subject. I need to know that this will stay between you and me, at least for now." I looked across the room and into his eyes, trying to read whether or not I could trust him seeing as how we had only just met a few days before. It had to stay between the two of us. In a flash he was at my side on the couch finishing what was left in his drink and smiling all the while. Maybe I should have waited until he was sober.

"I know what you're thinking, but believe me, I am much more fun after a few drinks," he assured me. He started to lean in towards me and I felt my lips tingle. That was it, I had no choice, I flashed my fangs at him and threw him back over to the settee, well, actually, I threw him over the settee.

He was back on his feet in a flash, fangs barred and ready to fight. He rushed at me, but I had already retracted mine. He hit my outstretched hand at full speed and landed on his back in front of the fire. He moaned but quickly recovered. I saw him try to double back around me, but I spun around and crashed into him, pinning him up against the wall a few inches off the floor, my hand at his throat. "Are you quite finished?" I asked him, "I came to talk, not to fight." He nodded and I released my hold on his throat. He crumbled to the floor gasping for air.

He looked up at me in shock, "I get your point so let's talk."

Once we had settled back in next to the fire and Damon had poured himself another generous drink I started. "Obviously you are aware that I am a vampire, that I am quite a bit older than you are and significantly stronger. I came to Mystic Falls specifically to find you and ask for your help. In turn I am willing to offer my help to you in return." He looked at me strangely but didn't interrupt. "Contrary to what you just witnessed I am generally non-violent unless provoked. I have absolutely no intension of hurting you, Stefan, or anyone else in Mystic Falls for that matter. I was hoping that you might be willing to help me locate a missing family member of mine."

I knew, of course, what the next words out of his mouth would be. "If you want my help finding someone, you'll have to be a bit more specific. Why the hell do you think I would help you anyway?" He asked.

"I need help finding my mother," I told him. He finished his drink and threw the glass into the fire where it shattered on the hearth.

"I've been through this before and have no interest in doing it again. If you want to find your mother so badly then go find her yourself. I am not reliving another Pearl and Anna drama in which I could get hurt, or more likely killed. Besides, what could you possibly do for me, you don't even know me. I can take care of myself." He said as he turned away from me.

Having expected this reaction I was able to maintain my composure. "Pearl and Anna were a very different situation." I told him. I'm surprised to hear that they actually lived that long as reckless as they were when I knew them." That caught his attention. "That's right, I came across Pearl and her daughter centuries ago on the ship from England to America, but that hardly matters now. I have no doubt that you can take care of yourself Mr. Salvatore, but it isn't really you that I am concerned about anyway.

His eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, cocking his head to the side. "If it isn't me that you are worried about then who is it?"

I smirked back at him as I said the name out loud, "Elena Gilb-..." Before I had even gotten her whole name out of my mouth he knocked me from my sitting position onto my back and had his hand at my throat. I saw anger flash in his eyes.

"Don't even think about going anywhere near Elena or so help me I will pull your heart out of your chest and ram it down your throat." I smiled up at him as I bent back the fingers on his hand and after hearing a few bones snap he retreated.

"I am here to help her," I told him as he realigned the bones in his fingers to heal properly.

"Elena has all the help that she needs so you can go back to where ever it is that you came from and forget about her," he muttered.

I smiled down at him and whispered, "I'm not going anywhere. I came here to help Elena and that is what I plan to do." He looked up at me enraged but stayed put on the floor.

"How much does it mean to you to have your brother here with you Damon? I asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" he replied.

"I don't know much about your family dynamics, but in my own, family means everything." I told him. He looked at me still somewhat mystified. I sighed, "Elena and I are family, we are blood relations, and I came to town to make sure that my family is safe."

He stood up and paced in front of the fire. "So you are telling me that you're an un-dead ancestor of Elena's whom she has never met? She doesn't even know that you exist? I nodded, she certainly wasn't the first who hadn't heard of me, but you can't really blame her, both my birth and death were undocumented, there had never been any record of my existence to reference. Although to be fair, I wasn't completely dead so that shouldn't be counted I guessed. I watched him trying to work this out in his head, after a moment I saw a change in his face, he looked up at me starring, blinking, not believing what he saw. "There is no way that is possible." He had figured it out.

"That's right Damon; Katherine Pierce is my birth mother."


	12. Chapter 11

**Eleventh.**

Sun light was streaming in through the break in the curtains when I finally woke the next day. I sat up and stretched, I hadn't felt so rested in at least…well, I don't think I could remember the last time. I realized that I was still in the robe from last night so I grabbed some clothes from my bag and made my way into the bathroom. After splashing some cool water on my face and changing I pulled a brush through my hair. I was surprised by how long it had gotten, I almost never had it down. I brushed my teeth and smiled into the mirror, dabbed a small amount of make-up and lip gloss on, opened the curtains feeling the warmth of the late morning sunshine on my face and then headed out of the room.

I opened the bedroom door and then jumped back. Damon was standing in the doorway smiling in at me. I couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. "Good morning," he greeted me handing over a glass of blood.

I sniffed it unsure of his motives. "Where did this come from?" I asked. I didn't feed on humans but only because I didn't want to hurt another person if I didn't have to. I had fed on animals for centuries.

"It's from a blood bag…from the hospital. I didn't kill anyone to get us our breakfast," he assured me. I took a sip and thanked him.

He stood in the doorway making no effort to move. "So, what are your plans for the day?" I asked him as I grabbed my e-reader off of the bedside table. He seemed hesitant to tell me so when he said he had a lot to do I just let it go. I had planned to head to the town square to read for a while and enjoy the sun, daylight had always represented safety to me, plus it made people watching much easier.

I grabbed a light sweater from my backpack, my cell phone, some water, my journal and a pen and stuffed them all into my oversized handbag. "I'm planning on stopping by The Grille for dinner later if you feel like stopping by," I told Damon. As I walked down the stairs a few steps ahead of him I again found myself in awe of the woodwork, the antique furnishings and the size of the rooms. I tried to imagine what it must have been like a half century ago when the rooms were all full of guests talking, reading, sharing a brandy after what could only have been an exquisite meal in the oversized dining room.

I had stopped on the landing as I let my imagination take over but was hurdled back to reality when I realized that Damon was standing below me in the hallway calling my name. I walked down the last set of stairs. He stood smirking at me as I started towards him and I blushed, a little embarrassed that I had lost myself completely in my own imagination. "its okay, every woman that has ever stayed in the boarding house has fantasized about me," He said to me smiling the whole time. I had no idea how to react to that so I just rolled my eyes, walked past him and headed out the door.


	13. Chapter 12

**Twelfth.**

When I got to the square and looked around it seemed that everyone in town had the same idea as me. There was a group of older women sitting in the gazebo knitting and talking to each other, a middle-aged couple sat side by side on a bench reading, a young mother sat on the other bench with her new baby in her arms staring down and quietly singing as the baby took a bottle. Disappointed I decided to walk around the square while I waited for a bench to open up.

It was a beautiful day, the sun shone high in the sky warming my skin, birds flew from tree to tree each singing their own unique song, the scent of cinnamon from the bakery across the street floated on a soft breeze into the square. As I walked around taking all of this in it became obvious why Alexia had loved coming to visit Stefan. Kids were alternating between laughing and shrieking as they played tag, running in circles around the gazebo. I smiled, I had been traveling around for so many years that I hadn't realized how much I missed small town living, the simplicity of walking down the main street and being greeted by almost everyone I passed.

As I started my third lap around the square I suddenly heard something that snapped me back to the present. One of the little boys running around the square suddenly yelled out "Maddie's it, Maddie's it." My head snapped around, my eyes desperately searching for her as tears stung my eyes. It had happened many times before since the name had become very popular as of late. I felt my heart violently contract and then fall to pieces as it relaxed. I took a few backwards steps still watching the kids, and then swung around tearing my eyes away.

As I turned away from the gazebo I didn't have a chance to look up before slamming into someone knocking both of us off of our feet and sending the books she was holding in her hands flying. My tailbone made contact with the sidewalk sending a shockwave through my body and I groaned. I awkwardly righted myself despite the pain. "I am so sorry, I didn't look up when I turned around," I explained as I tried to help her gather her things that had scattered in the collision. I reached for a thick leather bound book that had landed a foot or so behind me. As I picked the book up I felt something strange, a vibration similar to that I had felt when I touched the large stone slab near what I now knew was the tomb.

I turned the book over and swept some loose sand off of it, then gasped when I realized what it was, a grimoire. I looked up at the girl for the first time, shocked, it couldn't be, could it? Lydia Bennett stared back at me, but it couldn't have been Lydia, she was dead and buried in Salem. I knew she was gone, I was there as she gave birth then as she took her last breath moments later having bled out before a proper midwife could be reached.

Now, looking into this girls eyes, I knew that she must be related, she looked so much like Lydia. I looked down at the grimoire as I handed it back to her and noticed the faint letters carved into the binding, E.B., Emily Bennett. "I am so sorry, are you hurt?" I asked her.

"No, no, I'm fine. I wasn't watching where I was going either." She assured me.

"I'm Norrah Christian," I told her. She smiled, shifting the weight of her books into her left arm and extending her right hand.

"I'm Bonnie, Bonnie Bennett," she told me as she extended her right hand. I reached towards her, but before we shook I realized that I had cut the palm of my hand in the fall so I pulled it back. I apologized one more time before we parted ways. After a moment I turned to watch her walking away.

Bonnie's ancestor Lydia and I had met in Salem, MA. in 1829. She was still in her teens and did not know what I was to my great relief. I had travelled out to Salem each summer for decades yearning to be by the sea in the warm months. She confided in me that she was a witch, showing me all kinds of spells that she learned. After a few years I felt obligated to tell her about me, and to my surprise she didn't run, in fact she took my hand and looked into my eyes and smiled. She told me that she could tell that deep down I was still the same person I had been as a human and because I was a good person she didn't feel threatened by me. I loved her all the more for accepting me for what I was as well as who. We remained friends for many years. I stood by as she married and had her two handsome sons.

In 1838 she got pregnant for the third time. We were both so excited that I stayed long past the summer so that I could be there with her when the baby came. We were both sure that this baby was to be the girl she had been praying for. Lydia told me that the baby was to be named Emily. Emily would be clothed in the most beautiful shades of pink, yellow, red and white. She couldn't wait until the baby was old enough that she could put her hair in ribbons and bonnets. Sadly she never had that chance. Lydia got one good look at her baby girl before the blood started, and then it was over so quickly. Poor little Emily would grow up without a mother. I held and rocked her as we both cried for Lydia.


	14. Chapter 13

**Thirteenth.**

As my mind slowly drifted back to the present I realized that two of the benches were now available. I sat on the one across from The Grille and pulled out my e-reader, but I couldn't concentrate. Memories kept sneaking up on me as I read, distracting me from the story. After fifteen minutes I gave up and walked across the street. Once inside The Grille I ordered a frozen coffee drink and sat down at one of the small tables. I fished around in my bag for my journal and the pen. I stared down at the blank page for a moment and then dove in.

I hadn't written anything since I came to Mystic Falls and so much had happened. I knew I had been sitting there for a while because my next sip of coffee was melted and had started to warm. I finished writing and placed the journal back into my bag. I looked around the large room, it had filled up significantly since I had come in, the pool tables were taken, the bar had only a few open stools and most of the tables and booths were filled with diners. The waitress came by the table and asked if she could get me something. I ordered a club sandwich even though I had almost no appetite. I was still trying to digest what had happened with Bonnie.

I nibbled on a few chips that came with the sandwich and didn't even noticed Damon coming in until he slid into the booth right next to me with a glass of whiskey in hand. He reached for a chip and I pushed the whole plate over to him. "Take it all, I'm not hungry."

He looked at me questioningly. "What's wrong?" He asked. I didn't answer. Instead I mumbled something about needing to go to the restroom; I pushed him over, slid out of my seat and crossed the dining room. Once in the bathroom I locked myself in a stall needing a few minutes of solitude to collect my thoughts. When my mind had calmed I exited the stall and turned on the sink letting the warm water flow over my hands, it relaxed me. I turned off the sink and grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser on the wall.

I heard the door behind me open as someone entered and looked up into the mirror just in time to see her face and my entire body went cold. As she entered a stall I started to tremble and grabbed the sink for support. What was happening to me? I saw her reflection as she walked behind me, but there was nothing about her that I recognized, long dark hair, dark eyes, slim figure, a smile as she looked over at me in the mirror. I turned and quickly exited the bathroom. Stepping back into the crowded room was a shock to the senses, the volume had raised dramatically and the lights had dimmed down somewhat allowing the individual lamps on the tables to glow. I looked over towards my table and saw Damon talking to a group of people. Bonnie looked up and waved and the next thing I knew I was crashing through the front door rushing out into the cool night.

I walked quickly away from The Grille trying to put as much distance between myself and the girl in the bathroom as possible. I was numb, my mind blank as I rushed towards the boarding house. I barely heard Damon yelling my name from behind, but in the next moment he was at my side, grabbing my arm and stopping me in my tracks. He moved in front of me with a vaguely concerned look on his face. "I'm fine," I told him, "I'm just not used to large crowds." He knew that I had seen Bonnie wave before I bolted. "I'm not feeling well, and after getting a good look at myself in the bathroom mirror I decided it was time to head back. The cool air is helping a little."

"I can drive you back you know," he offered.

"No thanks, I think the walk would do me some good." I knew that he didn't believe me, but he smiled, handed me my bag that I had left in the booth and turned back towards The Grille as I headed in the direction of the house.

I was desperate to get into bed, this day had been too overwhelming; so much for a relaxing day of reading in the square. The unpaved road that led to the boarding house was silent and there were no street lights here. I thought back to my unfortunate incident in the woods a few days before and picked up my pace. My feet pounding on the ground with each quick step got louder and louder and made me more and more uneasy. I decided to make a run for it, I knew there would be lights on when I reached the house so I took off. By the time I made it to the front door I was out of breath, I looked around the brightly lit front yard and laughed quietly to myself. Who had ever heard of a vampire being afraid of the dark?


	15. Chapter 14

**Fourteenth.**

As I stood under the stream of hot water in the shower I tried to visualize all of my troubles liquefying and going down the drain with the water. I stood there for much longer than I needed to, and by the time I turned off the water and reached out for my robe more than 30 minutes had gone by, but I didn't care. It had taken almost that long to convince myself that I was not going crazy and there had to be some explanation for the way I had reacted when I saw that girl in the restroom. I was really looking forward to another deep sleep to calm my nerves and purge my mind.

I grabbed a towel off of the warming rack , rubbing against my scalp to dry my hair. I brushed my teeth and then walked back in the bedroom only to be met by a half-naked Damon sitting on the edge of the bed. Lucky for him he had pants on or I might have picked him up and thrown him over the railing in the hallway. Not wanting to call any extra attention to him I momentarily looked up at him and then continued about getting myself ready for bed. "How long have you been sitting there?" I asked him.

He flashed a devilish smile at me. "Not long," he responded, playing coy. I threw a towel at him as I walked back into the bathroom and changed, hoping that he would give me a break and just let me go to bed, but I knew that was a long shot at best.

I hadn't even cleared the bathroom doorway before he started grilling me about what had happened tonight. "Bonnie told me that you and she had literally bumped into one another and that you looked at her strangely as you helped her gather her things. What I want to know is why?" For a moment I considered pretending I had no idea what he was talking about, but I knew he would never believe me, and I was far too tired to come up with a good story. I put away my clothes and sat on the opposite side of the bed while Damon stretched out leaning his head on his hand and his elbow on a pillow. I smelled his deodorant or cologne, possibly a combination of the two, and though I tried my hardest, I couldn't keep myself from looking at his exposed upper body. His skin was so smooth, muscles bulging out in all the right places. I tore my eyes away but I knew that he knew what I was thinking, a smile crept across his face.

Averting my eyes I told him about Lydia. "She was Emily Bennett's mother and Bonnie's ancestor. Bonnie resembled her so much that it took me a minute before I realized it wasn't Lydia. Bonnie's eye color is different, and Lydia never wore her hair loose, but aside from that they were almost identical."

"Does Bonnie know what you are now? She's usually able to figure these things out with a quick touch."

"No, she doesn't know, another perk to being a Unique I guess. Witches can't read us as easily." I replied.

"Okay, so Bonnie doesn't know, but something else must have happened then. When you came out of the restroom your face was completely white, your eyes wild and you were shaking. Then you bolted out the door. What happened while you were in there?"

"I really don't know what happened," I told him. "I was drying my hands when a young girl walked in and when I looked up at her reflection in the mirror my entire body turned to ice."

"Do you know who she was?"

"I've never seen her before. She was very pretty, she had long dark hair and dark eyes, and she had a very slender build."

I had been looking down at my hands as I told him this, and when I looked up he was staring at me with a strange look on his face. I looked back at him confused, what did he know? "Did you happen to notice what she was wearing?" he asked me.

"Well I wasn't really that concerned about her clothes while I froze in place." I tried to think back on the quick interaction. "I think she was wearing a maroon Henley top and jeans."

He started to laugh and sat up on the bed. "That was Elena Gilbert, the Elena you claim to have come here to help." That didn't explain the strange reaction that I had though. "I'm not sure why that happened, but Elena is Katherine's doppelganger," he told me.

"But I've never seen Katherine," I reminded him, "so why would I have reacted that way?"

Damon jumped up, "I'll be right back," he said as he left the room. I took advantage of his momentary absence to slide under the sheets, they felt cool against my warm skin, soft and cool. When he returned I had turned off the harsh overhead lights and turned on the lamp on the bedside table. He crossed the room, jumped and landed back on the bed on his side. He handed me a small stack of photographs, "look at these and tell me what you feel." I looked down at a few photos of Stefan and the girl I now knew was Elena, but I felt nothing, shuffling through I found one of Damon and Elena dressed up and dancing outdoors that was labeled the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, and the next was a full frontal shot of Damon lying on a fur blanket which I immediately threw at him. Finally the last picture was of Stefan and Elena at a masquerade ball, Elena had removed her mask, and as I looked down at her I felt the icy cold feeling overtaking me, I couldn't catch my breath, my heart pounded and the color drained from my face. As I started to tremble I felt Damon pull the picture from my hand and turn it upside down on the bottom of the pile.

He put his arms around me as I continued to shake uncontrollably, ran his fingers through my hair and whispered reassurances in my ear. After a few minutes I stopped shaking and was able to calm my breathing. I pulled away. "Are you alright?" I didn't answer, I wanted to know why that happened again, I'd never felt anything like that before today.

"Why am I only reacting that way to the last photo?" I asked him.

When he told me the reason it seemed so obvious. "All of the pictures were of Elena with one exception. The last picture taken at the masque was Katherine." I had to think about this for a minute; that meant that no matter how I tried to deny it somewhere deep down I must have been scared of Katherine.

I could accept that, she had been a virtual non-presence in my life, popping up only to tear my family and friends away from me but somehow maintaining her anonymity. It didn't, however, explain what had happened at The Grille. Damon tried to rationalize this for me. "The only explanation I can come up with is that doppelgangers are like mirror images, clones, of oneself, so something about viewing Elena in the mirror must have set something off in you, unconsciously recognizing the image as that of Katherine." My mind was spinning again, none of it really made any logical sense, but who was I to judge, a five-hundred year old vampire laying on a bed with a one-hundred fifty year old vampire discussing doppelgangers and witches, it all seemed so surreal, almost ridiculous.

Exhaustion was overtaking me, I put my hand up to my forehead for a moment to bring myself back. Damon remained in his spot on the bed and smiled, "I'll be happy to stay here with you to help you relax and sleep, he said. "I have a very calming effect on women."

I almost laughed, but instead, I looked into his eyes, smiled and moved my face closer to him, and at the last moment said "no thanks," and then I pulled hard on the blankets flipping him off of the bed and onto the floor. I rolled over and asked him to hit the light on his way out. I don't think I was able to keep myself awake long enough to hear the door close before I fell into a deep sleep.


	16. Chapter 15

**Fifteenth.**

I woke early the next morning feeling like I could easily sleep another three or four hours, but I was looking forward to an early start. I climbed out of the bed, grabbed some clothes from the dresser noting that I would have to do laundry again soon, and made my way into the bathroom. I wasn't going for a pristine look today, just presentable. I pulled on my dark jeans and socks, took off the camisole I had worn to bed and shimmied into a clean maroon tee. Looking in the mirror I inspected my face, the dark circles under my eyes had lightened a bit, but the red rimmed eyelids were still fairly prominent. Since my plan was to go out hunting in the woods alone I didn't bother trying to cover it up. I gathered my hair at the nape of my neck and braided it down my back. One more quick look and I was satisfied.

I grabbed my shoes and headed down the stairs silently in my socks. As I let the front door click closed behind me I took a deep breath of the cool morning air. The grass shimmered with dew and the smell was glorious. I sat on the wall and put my shoes on. I felt like running, so I took off into the woods at top speed. I tried to stay near the tree line so I wouldn't scare all of the animals off. It felt so good to finally have some solitude, freedom to just run and not worry about anyone seeing me. This was the kind of downtime I craved in order to face the day.

A half hour later I was back on the Salvatore's front steps fed and happy. I took of my shoes and left them outside to avoid tracking the woods in with me. I looked around the house but seeing no one awake or lurking I ran up to my room, grabbed my e-reader and headed back down to the parlor to read. I settled down on the couch silently hoping that the rest of the day would continue on this peaceful track, but I knew how quickly things could change, so I decided to just live in the moment and take advantage of the quiet while it lasted.

I quickly lost myself in the story and lost track of time. Twenty minutes later, just as I was getting to a really good part in the book I heard the front door creak open. I assumed it was Damon and didn't turn around until I heard a girl's voice asking if anyone was home. I sat up and turned to the door. There she was, the same girl I had seen in the restroom and in the pictures last night. I waited for that feeling of terror to overtake me, but it never came. I stood up and walked towards her. She saw me coming and reached out her hand, Damon must have given them a glowing description of me the previous night. "Hi, I'm Elena, and you must be Norrah." She said as I nodded.

I reached for her hand, and when we touched I did feel something but this time it was a calming, peaceful warmth that flowed through my body. "I came by looking for Stefan, I thought that he would be here," she told me.

"I'm not sure if he is or not, I actually hadn't met him yet," I said in reply. As if on cue a handsome sandy haired young man came sauntering down the stairs. Alexia had described him to me before but I had no idea how different he and Damon looked, very attractive, just in a different way. He approached us and said hello to Elena before turning to me. "Hi, I'm Norrah, and you must be Stefan. I'm so sorry we haven't had the chance to meet before now."

"No to worry, Damon filled me in. Our house is your house," He told me as he smiled. I was so grateful that he hadn't gone into more detail about what Damon had said that I could have kissed him, but that probably would have been a bit awkward. "Would you like to join us for breakfast?" he asked me.

"No thanks, I already ate." I replied assuming he would understand. He nodded at me and they left.

I decided that I didn't want to read anymore so I climbed the stairs to put my book away, grabbed my bag and my camera and headed back out. I looked up at Damon's room but the door was still closed and I didn't hear anything so I padded back down the stairs in my socks, put my shoes on out front and headed back into the woods. I was still so fascinated by the old ruins of the church and the buildings, but what I really wanted to see was the falls. I walked a ways through the woods and then stopped to listen. I could hear the water flowing a little ways off so I headed towards it, stopping every now and then to listen and change direction slightly.

After about fifteen minutes I came to a clearing and a wooden bridge. I could hear the rushing water, even feel a little of the spray before the falls came into view. The view from the bridge didn't disappoint. I took a few pictures then put my camera back in my bag and rested my elbows on the wooden banister. I closed my eyes and just listened. The sound of the rushing water was soothing and reminded me of my home in England. Some days after a nightlong rainstorm the creek would crest it's banks and the water would rush down through the forest. These days I would hurry to finish my morning chores and then I would take Maddie to the raging creek. We would pick out leaves, drop them in the water and watch them race down towards the connecting river that led out to the sea. Those kinds of memories always made me smile.

I opened my eyes and was instantly transported back to the present. I lingered around for a few more minutes before heading back into the woods. I made my way past the old graveyard and noticed all of the crypts with familiar names, they must have belonged to the founding families I had heard about. I walked in a little further and passed the old cellar with the large wooden door at the bottom of the stone steps. Remembering my feelings the last time I was here I picked up my pace a bit. I made it to the church cellar a few minutes later and started snapping pictures. I walked down the stone stairs and came upon the slab, still in front of the tomb with the pile of boulders in front of it. I took a picture and then put my camera and bag down and started moving the stones out of the way.

I was about halfway finished when I heard a rustle of leaves and footsteps coming toward me. I threw myself against the wall across from the tomb and waited. The footsteps got closer and then someone started coming down the stairs. I held my breath and waited. Whoever it was stopped a few steps before the bottom. I listened as they turned and walked back up and away. I was confused so I stepped away from the wall and started slowly towards the stairs looking up over my shoulder. I was about three feet away when a figure came flying down the stairs in a blur, knocking me to the ground. I rolled backwards and jumped to my feet ready to attack but seeing who it was stopped me just in time. I punched him in the shoulder as he laughed at me.

"How did you even know where I was Damon?" I asked as I brushed the dirt off of my clothes. "I didn't leave a note."

"Well for someone who has spent most of her life in the woods you aren't very good at hiding your tracks. Besides, I could hear you hefting those rocks around. Throwing a boulder out of a pit and onto the ground above can get pretty noisy." He smiled at me and leaned up against the dirt wall. I grabbed my bag and my camera from the ground, looked over at him just in time to see him rubbing his shoulder where I had struck him, then I took off up the stairs through the woods and back to the house.

I didn't bother taking my shoes off this time, and I ran through the door and up to my room, slamming the door and locking it behind me. I turned around and jumped when I saw Damon sitting on the edge of the bed. "How did you beat me back here?" I asked. Even running at half speed I should have been able to beat him easily. He smiled and gestured towards an open window. I guess after living here for a good part of his life he probably would know a few shortcuts. I walked over and slammed the window down and locked it in place.

"Oh, don't be a poor sport," he told me as he rushed in front of me before I could reach the door. "Elena called and asked us to meet her and Stefan in the square to talk. I reluctantly agreed not wanting to argue with him. As he drove down the road he tried to strike up a conversation, but I was still angry about him messing with me at the tomb. Finally he gave up, but not before telling me that if there had been any question in his mind about my relation to Elena it was gone. "Your ability to hold a grudge over something trivial is rivaled only by hers," he told me. I smiled at that; we were of fine stubborn stock she and I.


	17. Chapter 16

**Sixteenth.**

We arrived a few minutes later in the town square and found Elena and Stefan sitting at one of the outdoor tables at The Grille. We took our seats and exchanged greetings. After a little small talk Elena turned to me and asked about my life. "So Norrah, where are you from? What brought you to Mystic Falls? Do you have family nearby?" I shifted around uncomfortably in my seat and looked to Damon for help, but he only fueled the fire.

Stefan leaned in closer to me, "You don't have to worry, Elena suspected something when she heard you were staying at the house with us. I guarantee she won't be nearly as shocked as you think. She can handle this type of thing." He smiled and squeezed my hand. I gave a weak smile back.

I knew that they hadn't told her about Katherine, so initially I left that part out. I told her about growing up in Europe, moving around a few times and ending up in England after my father died. I told her about my mother and the cottage by the woods, Daniel and Maddie. I told her about my mother dying when Maddie was a baby and living in the cottage with my little family. I looked back over to Stefan for help, he nodded and told me to go on so I continued telling her about that horrible night when I was kidnapped, killed and turned, and then left to figure it all out by myself.

I paused for a minute to collect my thoughts and to let my story sink-in. I looked up at Elena expecting shock, but there was none, if anything she looked sad for me. I figured that if there was ever going to be a time to tell her this was it. I glanced around, but there was no one in earshot so I dove back in. Before I told the rest of the story I decided that I needed to explain to her who I really was. When I told her about the night I was born and my birth mother I saw shock and disbelief cross her face, but she didn't question me. I told her that Katherine had killed my parents for telling me about her, had compelled a young man to love me and bear a child with me, and finally that she had killed and turned me.

Everyone was silent for a few moments until Elena spoke. "So if you're Katherine's daughter then we are related."

I nodded "That's why I am here now," I explained. "I know that Katherine has been through Mystic Falls recently, and I also know that she had made multiple threats aimed at you Elena. I came here not only to ask for help in Finding Katherine, but also to offer my help to you." I spent the next half hour explaining everything about me and my life as a Unique, from my inhumane creation to my miserable eternal existence, my incredible speed and strength to my ability to turn my healing ability off and on. All three of them sat there intrigued by my story. Even Damon hadn't known everything.

I sat back in my chair and took a few sips of my water. Elena was still curious though. "If you hate your existence so much, why don't you just end it?" she asked.

"Believe me, I have tried," I told her. "The problem is that because of the spell, I am linked to Katherine and therefore I can only die at her hand, or if someone was to kill her. Neither of us can live without the other, so when one dies the other will die as well. Since Katherine has no intension of dying anytime soon it would seem that I will have to wait until she is killed."

"So if someone other than Katherine tried to stake you, what would happen?" Elena probed.

"The stake wouldn't penetrate my heart; it would stop just shy of hitting it. I would be in a lot of pain because I would, in essence, have been stabbed, but it wouldn't kill me." I answered. It was a long story, but I was happy that they were all there to hear it so I didn't have to repeat it three times. They noticed that I was starting to fade, telling that story always took a lot out of me.

The table was silent, no one knew what to say after all of that. The waiter came by and took our order. After he left Stefan asked "Have you really been alone all these years?"

"No, in fact I had a good friend with me for centuries. We were very close and we became each other's family." He stopped and thought about that for a minute.

He looked up at me with questioning eyes, "are you 'that' Norrah?" I nodded back to him as shock registered across his face.

Never wanting to be left out of anything Damon asked, "what are the two of you talking about?"

Stefan turned to me. "Do you want to tell him, or should I?" I figured I had come this far today, might as well finish it off with a bang.

I prefaced the story by telling them all that I never wished this curse upon anyone, and unlike my reckless mother I had vowed never to turn a human. Unfortunately fate intervened one night as I was taking my leave from a small village in Massachusetts when my best friend tried to come after me and ended up bleeding to death in the woods. I told them about trying to save her and killing her in the process, and then allowing her to choose death or un-death. She chose to stay with me, she didn't want me to be alone, and we spent the better part of three hundred fifty years together before she was unnecessarily staked.

I watched as Elena and Damon tried to work this out, something sounded familiar about this. Stefan reached out and squeezed my hand just as Elena came up with the answer. "Wait, Lexi is the vampire that you turned?" she asked. I nodded, fighting back tears as I turned to Damon. He had nothing to say.

I looked back at Elena. "Did you ever have a chance to meet Alexia? She nodded and I smiled, I was glad that they had met one another. The uncomfortable silence between Damon and I was finally relieved when our food came. Elena and Damon started talking about some plans they had made with Alaric, and Stefan and I quietly reminisced about our good friend. She was sorely missed, that's for sure.


	18. Chapter 17

**Seventeenth.**

Over the next few days Stefan and I bonded over our mutual friendship with Alexia and spent hours hunting in the woods together. We made a good team, one of us would frighten the animal while the other lay in wait, grabbing it as it ran by. We were able to bottle and store a lot so that we wouldn't have to go out more than twice a week. I explained to him that the larger the animal the more strength its blood would provide him, and after a few days it showed. It was fun to have a partner again. After a few days together he even convinced me to refer to Alexia as Lexi from now on, something she herself had never even been able to do. It was nice to laugh again, I had spent so much time worried about Katherine since Lexi died, leaving me alone, that I hadn't allowed myself to have any fun.

Elena and I met up every few days as well. There was still so much she wanted to know about me, my family, growing up in Bulgaria and England. She told me about everything that had gone on in the past few years since her parents died and Stefan pulled her from the submerged car. She told me about her interactions with Katherine, her unfortunate reunion with her own birth mother Isobel, the sacrifice, Jenna, Jeremy, John, Bonnie and Caroline. She told me about Klaus siring a line of Hybrids, Stefan giving himself over to Klaus to save Damon's life, and her fight to get Stefan back.

We took turns, each mesmerized by the others' stories. We both understood the heartache of losing your parents too young and then slowly watching as your remaining family slipped away. I told her all about Maddie, her first years spent with my husband and I, and her long and happy life in the little cottage. Elena loved hearing about my little girl, she told me that I practically glowed when I talked about her. I told her about Lexi coming along at the perfect time when I needed a friend the most, my centuries of guilt for stealing her life away from her but the joy we both felt at having one another.

I was happy again. I had friends and a home. I didn't have to hide who I was and that felt so good. Elena had filled Bonnie in on my strange affliction and though she was somewhat reluctant to spend a lot of time with me, I think that I started to win her over when I was able to tell her about some of her relatives. I told her about Lydia's mother Greta who was possibly the clumsiest witch ever to grace God's green earth. She used to mix up herbs and tonics, forget to label them and then hand them out to the wrong people which led to all sorts of funny outcomes. Bonnie told me about Emily being Katherine's handmaiden during the Civil War, Emily's deal with Damon to protect her lineage, and how she had died after Katherine had mentioned to someone that Emily was a witch.

We spent most of the week swapping stories and sharing information about our lives. It was incredible, I had never been able to talk this freely about my family and friends with anyone besides Lexi. I had no idea how badly I had longed for friends in my life, and this was beyond anything I could have imagined, not only did I have friends and family, but they were supernatural like me, it didn't matter if I never aged and drank the blood of forest animals. I was accepted and it felt great.


	19. Chapter 18

**Eighteenth.**

I settled into my new comfortable life in Mystic Falls, met some more of the people, learned more about the history of the town. One day when I was supposed to be meeting up with Elena and Bonnie at the Gazebo I was running a few minutes late. I texted Elena as I ran out the door. When I got into town I headed towards the square but stopped short. I looked across and saw Elena and Bonnie waiting, but there was someone else with them. I was disappointed, I looked forward to these no holds barred conversations, but I would have to be more candid if there was someone else listening in. Elena caught site of me and waved me over. I climbed the short steps up and took a seat next to Elena on the bench. Bonnie introduced the blonde haired girl to her right as Caroline, and then quickly lowered her voice to inform me that Caroline was a vampire too.

I smiled and shook her hand, but in my head I knew I didn't really care to know much about Caroline. She started by telling me the story of when she was turned, and that it was Damon's blood in her system but that Katherine had come into her hospital room and suffocated her. I was unimpressed with her story, nothing that Katherine did surprised me anymore. I sat and listened to her describing her life as a vampire, dating a human and then a werewolf turned hybrid. I pretended to listen, but I had never had much patience with 'newborns,' vampires less than one hundred years old. She did, however, peak my attention when she mentioned that her mother was the sheriff.

I felt fire roaring in my head and daggers shooting from my eyes. The same sheriff who helped kill Lexi? I stood trying to decide if I wanted to rip her head off or insert my hand into her chest yanking her heart out as my fangs descended. I felt Elena's hand on my arm coaxing me to sit back down, but the rage took over. I rushed at her with every intent of killing her, but instead of hitting her I slammed into someone else, knocking me back across the gazebo. I looked up and saw Damon standing over me with his foot on my chest holding me down. Bonnie herded Caroline away and Elena stood frozen.

With Caroline a safe distance away my anger turned to despair, tears rolling down my face. Elena knelt down pushing Damon's foot off of me and helping me to sit up. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and motioned to Damon that he could go. We sat there in silence as I calmed down. I was so embarrassed, I had never reacted that way towards anyone. It wasn't Caroline's fault, Damon was the one who framed Lexi and then staked her in the street, but something about Caroline had set me off. I decided it would probably be best for all of us if Caroline and I stayed away from one another.

I didn't know what to say or how to explain my outburst. "It's okay," Elena told me. "Caroline, Bonnie and I all understand what it means to lose someone you love that much, and how desperately you want to find someone to blame."

"I'm so sorry Elena," I finally choked out. "Please tell Bonnie and Caroline that I'm sorry." I stayed in the gazebo long after everyone had left. The light of day began to dull and streetlights came on and still I remained in the same spot. Damon came by and called up to me, but I ignored him and after a few minutes he left. I stayed seated. After last call at The Grille, I heard everyone leaving, the lights clicking off and the door locking.

After another hour or so I heard footsteps on the sidewalk. Stefan appeared in front of me, quietly releasing my hands from their death grip on my knees and sitting down next to me.

I looked over at him and asked, "How do you do it? How are you able to forgive the people that played a part in your best friend's death?"

"I had to," he told me, "as angry as I was at Damon for what he had done, he's still my brother. There's nothing more I can do for Lexi. I can't go back and change what happened no matter how badly I want to. Eventually you just have to accept that it was a great loss, but that she's gone. Then you can start to pick-up the pieces and move on." Stefan's calm demeanor helped me to relax a little and he drove me back to the house.


	20. Chapter 19

**Nineteenth.**

The next day was rainy and miserable so I decided to just stay in. I read for a few hours, took a long soak in my tub and then watched movies until dark. I didn't hear from Damon or Stefan the whole day. I knew that they were both out so I had the house to myself. I walked up and down the hallways looking at all of the intricate details in the woodwork and the antique statues and vases. I wandered into the kitchen in search of some blood, but no one had restocked the refrigerator. I knew that I had heard someone mention the cooler in the basement, so I opened the door and headed down the stairs. I had never been in this part of the house, and basements were always creepy. At the bottom of the stairs was a large wooden door with a small bar-lined window.

I was curious but wanted to find the blood storage first so I kept walking. Around the corner in the back room I found the cooler. I was surprised when I opened it to find dozens of blood bags all labeled with hospital names. I had no idea that they kept all of this in stock, but I guess it is better than hurting people. I grabbed one of the bottles that Stefan and I had collected, making a mental note that we probably needed more and headed back over to the wooden door. I unscrewed the bottle and took a long swig before opening the door. I took a few steps into what looked like a jail cell and then noticed the light to my left. I turned and walked over to see what it was, and to my horror I found vervain plants, at least fifty of them growing under the special light.

Vervain doesn't really have a scent, but it does produce pollen. For most vampires this isn't a problem because it is such a microscopic amount, but I started to feel a burn in my nose. I backed up towards the door and was almost out of the room when something hit the back of my skull sending me flying into the cell. I could feel the welt already forming as I jumped to my feet. I heard the slam of the door and the large plank being placed across to lock me in. I ran for the door but I didn't see anyone. The vervain was now making its way down my throat, the fire becoming so intense that breathing became difficult. I fell back against a wall and landed on my butt on the dirt floor. Before long my eyes started burning as well. I writhed around on the floor as my lungs caught fire followed by my stomach.

The pain was so intense that all I could do was scream which only made the pain in my throat worse. My head was pounding and my insides were burning up. I knew that this was it, there was no way that this wouldn't kill me. I prayed for death, called out to a higher being to take me, please! Finally I started to feel myself slip away. I made one final plea for a quick death and then everything went black. I awoke only a few short minutes later still in agony. It was widespread now, had gotten into my bloodstream and traveled to every last inch of my body. I couldn't scream anymore due to the swelling in my throat, when I tried only a weak cry emerged.

Moments later I heard the front door open followed by the thundering of footsteps running above me. I tried to call to them but nothing came out. I heard them running back and forth trying to find me, yelling my name. Then I heard Elena's voice alerting them that the basement door was open. She started down the stairs and then multiple people flew down past her. Damon reached the door first followed by Stefan, Alaric and Elena. I heard them pull the plank out and open the door. I felt myself slipping away again and silently prayed that I would not die, not when I was this close to being rescued. I felt someone's strong hand go under my back and then slid back into darkness.

I woke up the next morning weak but not in any real pain. My vision wasn't completely restored yet, and when I tried to call out for someone all I could muster was a groan. I knew that I wasn't in my own room, the bed was at a strange angle, the sheets were softer, and the comforter had been folded down at the end of the bed. I heard someone enter the room and called out. I jumped when I felt the mattress move next to me, someone had been lying there with me. I heard Stefan's voice as he came to the side of the bed to help me sit up. Elena, who had been lying in the bed asked me how I felt. I tried to answer but my throat was still too burned and blistered.

I rubbed my eyes to try and clear my vision, it helped a little. I gazed up to the ceiling and concentrated. A few minutes later my voice and my vision were back. Slowly my muscles began to work again. Stefan handed me a cup of blood and I realized how hungry I was; when I was hit the night before, the open bottle had flown out of my hand landing underneath the table that held all of the plants. He poured me some more and I drank it eagerly. "After you passed out we were able to get you upstairs. Damon insisted that we bring you into his room as it's the easiest to access, it had the biggest bed and we could all take turns sitting with you." I waved off any more blood for now.

Elena sat up and said, "I called Bonnie who came over and performed a spell to take away some of the pain, and then one to let you sleep through the night." I had told her a few days before if I was in too much pain I couldn't do anything to control it and wouldn't be able to heal. Bonnie had taken away some of the pain so I could sleep. I was beyond grateful for that.

"Do you remember anything at all about what happened," Stefan asked me.

"I got curious and peeked into the room with the heavy door and as I backed out someone came up from behind me and hit me in the head, I never had a chance to see them. By the time I got back over to the door it was locked and they were gone." I explained to Elena and Stefan why the vervain had affected me so violently, they had no idea that the pollen could harm me. I told them I hadn't either. "I had gotten a little in my nose some years back, and that burned, but it was easy to fix. Being closed in that room with the plants right next to me was too much and it incapacitated me."

I turned and put my feet down on the floor. Stefan offered his arm to steady me as I stood and took a few steps. I felt okay walking on my own, just really tired. I wanted to get back to my room, take a quick shower and go back to sleep, I was exhausted despite sleeping through the whole night. Elena walked with me back to my room and sat on the bed while I got everything in order. She looked like she wanted to talk, but I just wanted to get out of these clothes and in the shower. I told her I would be quick if she wanted to wait, so she switched the TV on and I closed the door behind me.

When I came back out a few minutes later I felt much better. I sat on the edge of the bed and let Elena comb out my hair and braid it down my back for me. She switched off the TV as I walked around the bed and sat up against the pillows. She looked at me hard for a moment. "You know about the Originals and that they are in Mystic Falls, right?" she asked and I nodded. "Do you think that there is any chance that they figured out that you are here?"

"I have no idea. I guess it's possible, but even if they have they don't know who I am and what I am capable of," I replied. It would have made sense though, a man biting me in the woods, someone shutting me in the tomb and carrying those boulders was no small task, finding me in the basement and knocking me out, locking me in with all of the vervain plants. It all fit, maybe they did know about me.

I heard a knock on the door and then Bonnie appeared in the doorway. I smiled and told her to please come in. I hugged her and thanked her for what she had done for me, she told me it was nothing, I was Elena's family, one of a very few members she had left, so she couldn't let anything happen to me.

Elena filled her in on our conversation about the Originals. "I heard that Esther had somehow found her way back into the land of the living. Is there any chance that either of you might know where to find her?" I asked.

Esther is gone, back to where she came from, and hopefully she won't be able to return ever again," Elena told me. I looked away and sighed, 'Damn!' I thoughts as I rubbed my fingers over the ring on my necklace. Elena was confused, "I thought that you would see that as a good thing."

Before I could answer her Bonnie, recognizing my distress explained "The spell that binds Norrah to Katherine was created by The Original Witch, Esther, therefore she is the only one who can break it. Without Esther Norrah will be bound to Katherine forever.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't know. I'm so sorry Norrah," Elena apologized but it wasn't necessary. It was only a short lived dream that I might finally be free of Katherine.

I yawned which signaled the end of our conversation. I wished Bonnie a good night, or day, whatever the appropriate saying was. She laughed and waved as she walked out the door. Elena lingered for a few minutes making sure that I didn't need anything, and that I would be alright by myself. "I'll ask Stefan to look in on you in a few hours to make sure you're okay," she told me. I hugged her before she left and then slipped down between the sheets and drifted off. I woke occasionally but only long enough to roll over before I was back asleep.

Sometime after noon I heard my door creak open. I figured it was Stefan fulfilling his promise to check on me, but then I felt the mattress give a little. I rolled back over to see who it was and found Damon lying next to me. He smiled. "How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"I'm better, just so tired," I responded.

"Well then go back to sleep," he instructed.

"Thank you for letting me use your bed last night."

I heard him say "it was my pleasure," as I closed my eyes. I slept soundly for hours, and when I woke I found Damon still lying there, fast asleep. I couldn't help but smile.


	21. Chapter 20

**Twentieth.**

It took me a few more days to get back to normal. I spent my time reading, watching TV and entertaining all of my visitors. I had a chance to get to know Stefan and Ric better, Bonnie stopped by twice, and I even had a chance to make amends with Caroline. I still didn't care for her very much, but at least we could be civil with one another. Damon had been strangely absent since he had fallen asleep next to me, but I figured he probably had a lot to do.

On the third day I couldn't justify staying in anymore. I headed back to the falls again with my journal and camera in hand. The sun was peeking out through the clouds and fog had risen up from the ground. I got to the bridge quickly, stood there for a few minutes just taking in the view, then crossed it and found a spot on the ground to settle into. I placed the towel I had brought onto the wet grass and sat with my journal in my lap. When I finished my entry I put the journal away and pulled out my camera. From this angle the sun and the mist formed a rainbow over the bottom of the falls. As the sun rose the light changed and the rainbow disappeared. It was getting warm out so I took off my sweater and tied it around my waist. I grabbed my bag and folded up the wet towel.

I walked back through the woods slowly, taking in all of the sights, the smells and the sounds. I weaved back and forth through the trees and watched a doe with two fawns grazing in the distance. My mother had always told me that we have to respect all living things and that included people, animals and plants. It had been centuries since I had walked through the forest with no set agenda, just wandering for the sake of wandering.

When I made it back to the house I walked around the grounds for a bit, then sat on the wall in front of the door, leaned back against the cool brick column and pulled out my camera. I flipped through the first few pictures of the falls and the church cellar. The pictures all came out really good, I kept flipping through them until one picture made me pause. The last picture that I had taken before coming to Mystic Falls was Lexi and I.

I had asked someone to take our picture in a booth at some chain restaurant. We were looking at each other, laughing about some long forgotten joke. Lexi had her hand on my shoulder, her mood ring pointing towards the camera. I loved teasing her about that ring, it almost never changed color because her skin was always so cold, but she loved it. I wondered where that ring was now. Maybe I could convince Damon that if he found that ring for me I would forgive him for killing her.

I looked back through all of my pictures, some I hadn't seen in years, others that I had never even looked at or seen. There was the time that she had compelled a girl in the restroom at a bar to take pictures of us biting each other. When I asked Lexi if we really had to bite each other she told me that of course we did, just bite down hard enough to make each other bleed and get some blood on our fangs, then look up at the camera for the picture. We took turns being the vampire and the victim, it took almost fifteen minutes just to get two good pictures because we couldn't stop laughing at ourselves and Lexi's wound healed too fast. There was another one of us dressed up in ball gowns, fancy make-up and hair pinned perfectly. I couldn't remember what the event was, but I did remember the looks on peoples' faces when we danced with each other all night, denying every man who asked us to dance claiming that we already had a date.

I scrolled through them all, birthdays, holidays, Wednesdays, any opportunity to take a picture. I smiled as the memories came flooding back. I found a few pictures of Lexi and Stefan from a few years back, that rat, she had stolen my camera! I guess I can't get too mad about it though considering I obviously didn't know it was gone. I turned the camera off and walked into the house.

Back in my room I tossed my bag on the bed and went into the bathroom to wash my hands. When I came back out I rifled through the bag, took out my journal and put it back in the drawer under my t-shirts. I took the bag off of the bed and slid it over near the bedside table. I felt a breeze and realized that I had left my window was open. I started towards it to close it when I saw a note blow across the comforter. I hadn't seen it there when I came in, but I wasn't really looking over the bed either.

I picked it up and read it. I recognized Damon's handwriting and was disappointed that I missed him again. The note said that Elena had called to say she might not be able to meet me in the square, and that she had tried to call me but it went straight to voicemail. I reached for my phone but it was dead, I had forgotten to put it back on the charger overnight, damn. I found the charger and hooked it up. It was fine, I could make it through one day without it, hell I had lived five hundred years without one after all.

I was bummed, I had been looking forward to meeting the girls in the square today. I decided to go in anyway, see if anyone shows up. I had a little time so I changed into something more comfortable, ran a brush through my hair and decided to leave it down again. I put on a little make-up, checked my teeth in the mirror and decided I looked good enough for a walk into town. I spritzed myself with a little body spray, threw a few extra things into my bag and left.


	22. Chapter 21

**Twenty First.**

As I walked down the road towards town I saw Damon's car turning towards the house. He slowed as he pulled up next to me. "Well, where are you off to on this fine day?" he asked me.

"I got your note but I decided to head into town anyway."

"Your phone is dead," he reminded me.

"It's back at the house on the charger as we speak," I assured him. "Since I am phone free today feel free to call out the National Guard if I don't make it home by eight. Just be sure to check The Grille before getting the military involved." He smiled and drove off.

I made it into town and stopped at the coffee shop for a shot of caffeine. I found it hilarious that they wrote each customer's name on the cups. They couldn't ever have had more than two people waiting for coffee at one time, they must have been modeling themselves after the big chains. I took my cup and walked back out towards the square. I looked over at the gazebo but it was empty, so I walked slowly by the little shops, popping in and out of a few of them. I sipped my coffee which provided a little extra warmth. It was cooler than I had thought it would be so the caffeine was a welcome treat.

I looked up and saw that The Grille was packed, patrons overflowing out the door and filling the outdoor seating. With that many people there it was very likely I could find someone I knew so I changed my course and headed over. I was still a good distance away when I saw Elena come out the door. She looked stunning in her fitted jeans, her hair curled and heels instead of sneakers. I yelled to her and waved but she must not have heard me. She walked around the side of the building and turned down the narrow road that I had parked on my first night in Mystic Falls. I sped up a bit and made it to the street very quickly. I looked down the road but saw no one. I called out Elena's name again and walked further down the street. After a few more steps I realized that I had missed her and I turned back towards the main street.

Suddenly I felt an arm wrap around my waist and a hand clamp down hard over my mouth. I dropped my coffee and tried to turn around, to twist out of their grasp but whoever had grabbed me was quite strong. I tried again to get out of their grasp, and I thought I might have gotten loose until I felt a stabbing pain in my back, felt the burning and knew I had just been injected with vervain. The dose must have been large because I instantly slipped into blackness, the pain dulling as I drifted away. I don't even remember my body hitting the ground.


	23. Chapter 22

**Twenty Second.**

The next few days were completely lost to me. I slid in and out of consciousness, never long enough to remember anything. Most of the time I would start to moan before opening my eyes, and then they would flutter open just long enough to see the ceiling before I felt another stab of pain and the blackness returned. I started to embrace these periods of sleep, I didn't feel any pain, didn't have to worry about where I was or who I was with. I didn't even care about the momentary stabs of pain because I knew it would lead to a black euphoria.

I wasn't aware of the passage of time so it could have been weeks or months for all I knew. I was living in a world of blackness where there was no pain and no one to bother me. Then one day the black started to fade. I woke occasionally at first, then more and more as the effects of the vervain started to wear off, but with these periods of alertness came the pain, the burning, the insatiable fire under my skin. As my mind began to clear, the pain got worse, I tried to move my arms, my hands, my fingers, but they were all raw and swollen. I could feel blisters that had formed on my feet and legs, the skin peeling off of my face leaving the sensitive layers exposed.

I tried to scream but nothing came out, my throat was swollen and my vocal chords unable to vibrate enough to create a noise louder than the occasional grainy moan. The more I moved around the more my skin rubbed on the sheets and tore, my back was covered in dried blood from my thrashing around. I searched the room but saw no one. I had no idea where I was, the room was only large enough for the bed, a small dresser and a wooden chair that sat next to the door. Tears filled my eyes, overflowing and rolling into the open wounds on my face causing them to sting even more.

I was crippled with pain, I tried to see out a small window next to the bed, but all I could see was dead grass and dirt. I closed my eyes trying desperately to concentrate, but it didn't work. I was so tired but couldn't sleep through the pain. I laid there staring up at the ceiling trying not to move, taking shallow breaths to lessen the pain I felt in my chest. After an excruciatingly long amount of time I thought I heard a door close and footsteps in the distance. I tried to call out and instantly regretted it as pain shot down my throat. I listened as this mystery person walked around through different rooms. I heard the refrigerator open and close and something being poured. Then, finally I heard the footsteps coming towards the door, a latch unlocked and the door swung open.

For a split second relief washed over me, Elena had come to get me out of here, but that elation quickly dissolved as I felt the cold descend on me. Fire and ice simultaneously took over every nerve in my body, I lay paralyzed, defenseless as she entered the room. The cold seemed to settle into my head, hands and feet while the fire scorched my insides. My hands, still covered in blisters and blood from the vervain now took on a gray/blue appearance, the joints frozen into place. My teeth chattered so violently that I was sure they would soon start to crack and break off. Instinct told me to get as far away from her as possible, but my ravaged body could not comply. I stared up at her as she made her way over to the bed and brushed a wisp of hair from my face.


	24. Chapter 23

**Twenty Third.**

Katherine stared down at me, our eyes locked and I felt something coming from her gaze. It wasn't the love of a mother for a child, in fact I didn't think it was love at all, at least not as I had ever experienced it. I can only describe it as a very watered down sense of concern. My quick breaths were catching in my throat, I had no defense, no strength, I was a sitting duck for all intents and purposes. After what felt like hours she broke her gaze and slowly walked over to the dresser where she had placed a small plastic cup with a clear liquid in it, a slightly larger colored cup whose contents I couldn't make out, and a wet bath towel.

She picked up the small clear cup and the wooden chair by the door. Placing the chair next to the bed she sat for a moment and watched me struggle to breathe as my body writhed in agony. She held up the cup and told me to drink it. I was no fool, and there was no way I was going to drink that without putting up a fight. It could have been anything, wasn't I suffering enough already. What kind of mother can inflict this kind of pain on her child and then just sits there watching? But that's right, she wasn't a mother at all, that title is earned after years of love and devotion, not just handed to you because you give birth.

I tried to control the chattering of my teeth, to press my hopelessly chapped and blistered lips together. She stood slowly and I could see the anger building in her eyes. She looked down and grabbed my arm, squeezing it tight enough to cause the swollen skin to rupture. I couldn't help myself, my mouth opened in a silent scream, tears rolled down from my eyes uncontrollably. She poured the liquid into my mouth and held my jaw closed. I swallowed the fowl liquid despite myself and was then hit with a new sensation, healing.

The sores in my mouth closed, the taste of blood slowly receded. My throat which had been on fire began to numb and I was able to croak out a few sounds through my vocal chords. Slowly I felt the fire subsiding inside. I was able to form a few words so I asked what that was. She looked at me and smiled, not answering as she stood and grabbed the towel. She opened it up and covered my legs and lower body. Sweet relief washed over me, I even felt as though the chill in my head and extremities was starting to fade. After a few minutes she lifted the towel, turned it over and laid it just under my chin and across my upper body. I could smell it now, the towel was soaked in witch hazel, she was trying to help, but why? I didn't have the energy to ask. She told me to turn over and put the towel over my back. I looked over and saw the bloodstained sheet I was lying on, it was horrifying. Large areas of skin clung to the sheet held on by dried blood.

My feet and hands slowly returned to their normal color and the brain-freeze started wearing off. I was so relieved and my tired muscles were finally able to relax and I fell into a deep sleep, allowing my body a chance to heal.

When I woke a few hours later it was dark, there was a small light bulb above the bed that cast weak light down into the room. I sat up and realized that I was on clean sheets and had a long white nightshirt on. The towel and the soiled sheets had been removed and the chair was back in its place by the door. I was still a bit sore and my head seemed foggy. I raised my gaze, concentrated and felt the aches fade away. My skin was still very tight, but there was no more swelling, blistering or bleeding. Burns take longer to heal I reminded myself.

I heard voices in another room, but they were too muffled to make out any words. I thought about sneaking closer to the door to see if I could hear any better, but Katherine's hearing was every bit as good as mine, and as I turned to get out of the bed she must have overheard the creaking bedframe because the conversation stopped. I heard footsteps coming down the hallway, they were heavy and a loud, I knew that it wasn't Katherine. The door swung open and a rather large woman came in. Without a word she lifted my leg and turned me back in the bed. She must have been the one who changed the sheets and gotten me cleaned up.

I was stunned, but not afraid. I didn't feel threatened by this woman, just confused. Who was she? What was she doing here? Had she been here the whole time? She helped me get back under the sheets and then turned and picked up the colored cup that was still on the dresser and held it out to me. I was reluctant to take it not knowing what was in the cup, but she insisted so I took it from her. I smelled it the moment before I saw it, blood, glorious blood. I felt my fangs descend as I drank with an urgency I had never felt before. The woman had the good sense to back out of the room and close the door before I was finished.

Realizing just how hungry I was I called out, begging for more. When no one responded I swung my legs over the bed and rushed towards the door only to find it locked. I shook the handle trying to rip it off the door, but my strength was so diminished. I screamed and banged on the door, desperate for more, but no one came. Eventually I crumbled to the floor, ashamed of my behavior, my desperation. I crawled back to the bed, wallowing in self-pity, and eventually falling asleep.


	25. Chapter 24

**Twenty Fourth.**

I woke slowly, sluggish and drowsy. Morning light came in through the window illuminating the room. I sat up and rubbed my eyes looking out the window to see if there was anything recognizable, but there was nothing. I tried to open it to get some fresh air into the room, but it wouldn't lift. I considered breaking the glass for just a moment, but my thoughts were cut short as Katherine's voice broke the silence, "You won't be able to open it." I turned and saw that she was sitting just outside the open door. Her clothes and hair were impeccable, her face so much like Elena's but darker somehow, one could tell by looking at her that she was no normal teenage girl, this young woman had lived.

I sat up at the head of the bed holding a pillow in my lap, I still didn't trust her. "Why did you bring me here? What could you possibly want from me, I have nothing, you've already taken everything and everyone."

She looked in at me and said "I am trying to protect you, but you made it very difficult for me in Mystic Falls so I had to get you out of there. I brought you here so that I can keep a closer eye on you and make sure that no one could find you."

I was confused. "Why do you need to keep an eye on me, is it because the Originals came after me?"

She laughed, "the Originals haven't come after you. They don't even know you still exist, but since they decided to make Mystic Falls their home base it was only a matter of time before they did find you."

That made no sense. "I was attacked in the woods, closed in the tomb and knocked senseless in a room filled with vervain. It had to have been the Originals, who else would have done that?" It hadn't even dawned on me that Katherine might be behind it all. She stood up and paced around the chair as she told me what had happened.

"The attack in the woods was unplanned. One of the "newborns," as you like to call them, had made his way into the woods. He had wandered away from a town nearby and gotten lost, and you was the first person he saw. He was hungry so when your back was turned he saw his chance, it was he who bit you, not one of the Originals."

"A newborn?" I asked. "It couldn't have been, newborns don't know how to stop, they suck their victims completely dry. It takes years before they have the restraint necessary to leave their victims alive, even if just barely. I wasn't dried out, I still had a small amount of blood left in my system."

Katherine sat back down. "You wouldn't have had any left at all had I not come out of the shadows and attacked him. That was when he released you and you fell to the ground, but don't worry about him, I ripped his head off and left his body in the woods for the wild animals." So Katherine had killed him to save me. I probably should have felt gratitude, but all I felt was distain towards her

"How was it that he was able to drink my blood though, vampire blood is toxic to other vampires," I chimed in.

"Well that is another one of your 'Unique' traits, clean blood." So my blood didn't have the same toxic qualities. I guess I should have been thankful that I'd never been attacked before now.

"The tomb, why was I closed in the tomb?"

She rolled her eyes as if I should have already figured all of this out. "You were alone and exposed, I wasn't going to take a chance that you would be found by the wrong people. Originals, Hybrids sired by Klaus, even Damon on a bad day all posed a threat to you, and therefore to me. You made it easy for me by entering the tomb willingly, I simply had to wait until you fell asleep and then close you in."

"Now the basement of the Salvatore's house was a bit of a fluke. I had come in earlier in the evening and moved all of the blood that was in the refrigerator down into the basement cooler. I knew that at some point you would have to go looking for it since you hadn't left the house to hunt. When you did I counted on your curiosity to help me get you into the basement room. My plan had been to knock you out and then to grab you and run before anyone came home. I wasn't counting on you getting back up to fight, you're stronger than you look, I'll give you that. Knowing that the vervain would eventually do the trick I had only to wait until you blacked out. I waited upstairs, but then I heard them coming and bolted. I was trying to keep you safe, would it really kill you to thank me for all the trouble I had to go through to get to you?"

My head was spinning, I couldn't believe that she thought I would appreciate all that she had done to keep me "safe." She was lucky that I didn't die, especially since I would have dragged her right along with me into the afterlife. While I tried to make sense of everything she placed a mug on the floor. "Here, consider this a peace offering." She stood and pushed the door closed, leaving me to brood alone. I grabbed the mug which was filled much more blood than the meager cup I had yesterday and drank. I knew that she was being careful about how much she gave me, not wanting to allow my strength to surpass her own. When I finished I threw the mug at the door, shattering it and leaving a dark red spot where it hit.


	26. Final

**Final.**

I didn't see much of Katherine in the next few days, I heard her coming and going, but the only person I saw was the woman who I assumed must have owned the house. She didn't ever have much to say, but I figured that was part of the compulsion. I could hear her sweeping and washing the floors. One day I walked over to the door hoping that I could get a peek at the rest of the house, but as soon as I touched the knob I heard her thundering down the hall towards me, she threw the door open and told me that I was not to leave this room. Katherine's meager blood offerings did not equip me to overpower her, so I returned to the bed.

Later that same night I heard the front door open and Katherine and another woman whom she seemed to know quite well entered, talking, laughing. I didn't really know what to make of it, so I crept over to the door to hear them better. Most of their conversation was muffled, I could only make out a few words, "spell," "stay in," "daughter." I couldn't make any sense of it all. I sat back on the bed wishing desperately for a book or my journal. My bag must be around here somewhere, I had it with me when she kidnapped me and I knew my e-reader was in it. The monotony of sitting in this room was driving me crazy.

I looked through the drawers in the dresser, but found only sheets and nightshirts, nothing of value to me. Closing the drawers I decided that if I couldn't control anything outside the room, maybe I could re-arrange the furniture, give it a more personal touch, well as personal as one can be in a room with only two pieces of furniture. I stood thinking about where I would put the bed when I heard something outside the door. It was very quiet, almost a whisper, strange words I had never heard. It wasn't English and as far as I could tell it wasn't Spanish, Bulgarian or French either, it probably most closely resembled the limited Latin I had learned over the years. The quiet voice went silent and I could hear Katherine asking if it was done. Another voice spoke and confirmed that it was indeed done.

What was done, what were they talking about? I moved closer to the door to hear them better, cupping my hands I leaned in closer, but hit something a few inches before the door. I jumped back but saw nothing. Reaching my hand out towards the door I hit something again. There was some kind of an invisible barrier like the ones that kept vampires out of any house that they hadn't been invited into. This barrier hadn't been there before. What the hell was going on? I used both hands and pushed as hard as I could, but whatever was in front of the door held fast.

I yelled for Katherine, why couldn't I get through? I heard multiple sets of footsteps coming down the hallway. The homeowner yanked the door open and stared down at me. She ushered me back to my bed, but I didn't want to sleep, I wanted to know what was going on. I wasn't at my peak, but I could easily slip out of her grasp and back to the door. I watched as Katherine raised a hand signaling to the woman to let me be. I demanded to know what was going on.

I could see that Katherine was getting tired of these outbursts from me, but I didn't care. I stood as close as I could get to her as horrible words escaped my mouth. She had trapped me in a bedroom in an unfamiliar house in the middle of God knows where and I deserved an explanation. She crossed her arm and in a voice that one would only use on a child she told me "if you would calm down for a minute maybe I will be able to tell you."

I was enraged, I felt my face change and my fangs slide down but I stopped screaming. "You are far too great a risk for me to allow you out of this room. I have some business to attend to so I won't be available to babysit." This of course made me even more angry. She was seriously going to leave me trapped in this room while she was gone? She motioned for the woman to come out of the room and she walked right through the barrier. I put my hands out again, and again they met resistance. Katherine just smiled as I struggled against my invisible foe.

I could keep trying, or just accept that I was trapped. "Where do you think you are going while I am stuck in here?" I asked her.

"I have a bone to pick with Damon and Stefan. They left you alone in the house that any vampire could enter, let you walk around town alone without knowing who the Originals are or what they look. They were setting me up. If the Originals got their hands on you it would only be a matter of time before they came for me and then we would both be dead. I[m just going to warn them that if that ever happens again I will hunt them down and kill them myself."

That set me off again, I was screaming, hurling pieces of the broken mug at her. She told me to stop, but I was just getting started. I was running out of pieces large enough to throw so I went over to the dresser, pulled out a drawer and started breaking pieces off. Katherine called for the homeowner whose appearance stopped me. I saw Katherine's face turn, it was the first time I had seen her as a vampire and it scared me. Suddenly I knew what she was about to do. I ran to the doorway "no, no, no!" but it was too late, by the time I got there she had already sunken her fangs into the woman's neck and a moment later she let the body fall lifeless to the floor, blood dripping down her chin. "That is what happens when you choose to be obstinate so I suggest you use some of your down time to think about that." I slumped to the floor in tears, and Katherine scowled in disgust at me and walked away.

Moments later she came back with two bottles of blood in her hand. She threw the bottles onto the bed. "You should probably ration that out wisely, it might be a while before I get back here." I stood gazing at her and she just smirked and walked away, down the hall and out the front door. I saw car headlights out the window and jumped onto the bed banging on the glass as the car turned around and headed for the street. This couldn't be happening. She wasn't really leaving me here all alone.

I beat my hands against the window…"KATHERINE!"…..


	27. Lead in to Part Three

Trapped and helpless Norrah has all but given up hope that she will be rescued until help comes in the form of two unexpected allies. Now Norrah will have to figure out how to keep her friends and herself safe in a town where supernatural beings are almost as common as humans. Will a surprise visit from an old friend give her the strength and encouragement to fight back against her enemies? Will her 'Unique' characteristics lead to her eventual downfall? Will she ever find out Katherine's motives? And who else is after her?


End file.
